Gifts
by Naughty Lady of the Night
Summary: A Squeal to Stages: George and Angelina are happily married, and the joke shop is hugely successful, but when their success turns into instant fame they're forced to live life in a fishbowl will their marriage be able to withstand the public eye?
1. Part one Paper

**A/N: **Hello All! Not much to say except that I'm back with the sequel to Stages. This story picks up sometime after the six week Honeymoon of George and Angelina. As always your feed back is muy apreciado. Pretty please review. Hugs and Kisses.

**Part One **

**Paper**

_Hold the paper up to the light_

_(Some rays pass right through)_

_Expose yourself out there for a minute_

_(Some rays pass right through)_

**Paper-Talking Heads**

By far Angelina and my favourite piece of furniture in the house is the bed, and not just because we have sex there. Our bed is our command central where we plan out our day, At night it's confessional where we bare our souls to each other It's where we laze about on Sundays having a cuppa, and reading the _Daily Prophet _cover to cover. From our bed we plan our future, and we promised each other to never go to bed angry at each other. All of our issues have to be resolved before our heads hit the pillow.

We've had some rows here and there nothing serious. We argue over silly things like not replacing the milk or whose turn it is to by ink and parchment. Mostly the shops keep us busy. We've been working like bees to get the Hogsmeade store up before Hogwarts starts. It's been harder now that Angelina is going to be teach Muggle studies. I can't believe I'm married to a Hogwart's Professor. If Fred where here right now he'd be laughing is head off.

I don't know how to feel about Angelina going back to work. I mean I'm not a cave man who expects his wife to be barefoot and pregnant, but I like having Angelina around, I miss having a constant companion. Angelina could never replace Fred, but when she's around things are easier and the voices in my heard are much quieter. I'll really miss having her round the shop, we're a great pair Angie and I, but running a joke shop was a dream of Fred and me, not Angelina's.

"Ugh." Angelina cries from the desk in our room. "I'm never going to finish this syllabus in time." She throws her quill down.

"Sure you will." I say my head buried in the wardrobe.

"I was mad to take this job, I can't be a Professor I'm too young, the students won't take me seriously."

"Are you kidding you'll be like the cool Professor." I say.

Angelina gets up comes over to the wardrobe and plucks out the shirt I've been searching for. "That's why I love you so much." She says. "You always know the right thing to say to me."

What a short memory she has, or maybe she's just chosen to forget all the nasty things I said to her when I was out of my mind on drugs. I guess she would have to or else we wouldn't be standing here today. It still feels like a dream sometimes, I just can't believe I'm married to her, happily married to her.

"I think I saw some gnomes in the garden yesterday.' Angelina says. "Merlin they move fast We've only just moved in." Angelina does the last button on my shirt for me.

"I'll get rid of them at the weekend the filthy little buggers." I say.

"Don't go soft on them either, I can't stand gnomes, I mean I'd like to walk in my back garden barefoot with out having to worry about stepping in their shit."

I laugh. It's still early in the morning and Angelina goes off to the kitchen to make breakfast while I go the bathroom to shave. It's weird to see so many feminine products in the bathroom, I swear they multiply each day. It takes Angelina forever to get ready for bed, she has this whole bloody routine, you'd think living with a woman would help you understand them more and not less.

"Godric (Angelina's owl) delivered a letter from Charlie he's made it back to Romania safely." Angelina says as I come into the kitchen.

"Good to know." I say stuffing a piece of toast into my mouth. "So the plan is I help you set up your office, and then I'm off to work on the shop, and later we meet for lunch in Diagon alley." I say. We sit at the table and eat our fry up. Its so nice having someone to share your life with.

"Yes, and if I get the time I'll come round and help you at the shop later in the day." Angelina says. "I can't believe how well sales are doing." She says. "The shop is all anyone can talk about, every time I turn on the wireless one of our ads is playing."

"Yeah _The Daily Prophet _called it a "real money spinner" I wish Fred was around to see all of it's glory. Neither of us speak for a minute. I never told Angelina about Fred appearing at our wedding, I've tried but something always stops me. Neither of us have brought up Fred for awhile, though I know he's been on both of our minds. I wish my brother could be here to see all of this to. Wizarding Wheezes wouldn't even be possible without him. I point my wand at the table and clean things up.

"Well I'd better get ready.' Angelina says finally. She scurries out of the kitchen.

It's weird being back at Hogwarts. I haven't been here since my brother died. It looks the same but feels different. Every where I look is a reminder of the war. The school will never feel like the same place for me again. I think as I follow Angelina to her office on the first floor. I'll never be able to step inside this place without feeling regret and an enormous loss. Why did Fred have to die?

"I'm still not used to this." Angelina says. She looks at the name plaque on her door. "_Professor Weasley_." She shakes her head "It's still just too bizarre."

"How's everything going Professor, you getting settled in?" Neville Longbottom asks standing in the door to Angelina's office. He's the new Herbology Professor.

"Come in, Angelina says with a waving motion, I think so, but it feels so weird that I'll be teaching students, especially since Muggle studies is now a compulsory subject."

"It was a hard decision to make, but Kingsley wanted to keep Muggle studies as compulsory. When Alecto Carrow taught the class her lies about what Muggles are like, and how they got their magic did a lot of damage to Muggle Wizard relations." Neville informs us.

"I'm just glad that Alecto is in Azkaban and she's not getting out for a long time." Angelina says. "Along with all the other scum that deserves to be there."

I don't have to ask who the "other scum" she's talking about. She still has nightmares about what Montague did to her.

"Kingsley reckons if the Wizarding world knows more about Muggles, and where they come from and how they live their day to day lives they'll be more understanding of them." Neville says. "Also there are a lot of Muggle born and half-blood students, and their parents that would feel more at ease, its hard for them to come into our world when none of us knows anything about theirs"

"My dad's over the moon." I say. "He thinks Kingsely the second coming of Merlin. He promoted my dad again, he's one of the senior most ranking members in the Ministry now." I can help but sound when I say it. For so long everyone thought my dad was a laughingstock, he was a real joke at the Ministry, but he always believed in the Ministry and I'm glad it's finally paid off for him.

"Good for your father." Neville says.

"How's Hannah doing?" Angelina asks.

"Some days are better than others, she still misses her mum a lot, but the Leaky Cauldron keeps her mind off things."

"I'm glad she's doing better, give her our love." Angelina says.

"I sure will" Neville looks at the clock on the wall. I'd better get going, I've got to give syllabus to Headmaster McGonagall."

"You're done? I'm still working on mines!" Angelina cries. "I hope Muggle Studies doesn't end up being one of the students least favourite classes."

"Naw you've still got Binns." I assure my wife. Neville laughs and leaves for his office.

Now that were alone Angelina looks searchingly into my face. "How are you feeling, it's not too hard being back is it?" She asks.

I shrug. I don't know how or what to say to her. Sometimes I still find it extremely hard to talk about Fred to anyone else. The pain of losing him still feels so fresh. Like a just picked scab. I'm trying my hardest but there are still days when I want to get wasted again, but I know if I do that I won't be able to stop. I'm an addict. It such an ugly word, but it's what and who I am.

Angelina strokes my hair. "He would have found this hysterical you know." She says.

"Yeah, Fred would have loved taking the piss out of you."

As if summoned by the words "taking the piss" Peeves drops from the ceiling and flips over a box of Angelina's quills., knocks a pile of neatly stacked papers to the floor, and breaks a bottle of ink. He twirls towards me and stop in front of my face.

"What's right in front of me? Who do I see? That one-eared ginger freak named Gerogie Weasley! One twin is no longer now isn't that sad, but Peevey's kept his word to 'em. Peevey's was bad, and gave that toad Umbridge all the hell he had! Peeves sings to me.

"Why Peeves that was oddly touching." Angelina says and blows him a kiss. She's had a soft spot for the poltergeist ever since he took part in driving Umbridge round the bend.

Peeves seems to go transparent and then sort of faints. I don't think a woman has ever blown him a kiss in his after-life.

"Be good to my wife Peeves." I say. He winks at me and then zooms out of the room.

Angelina points her wand at the jar of upended ink and returns it inside of it's glass jar.

"What am I going to do if I get students like you, Fred, and Lee."

"Aah don't forget to add yourself in there wifey." I say. "You were just a devious." I say.

"Was not." She says hands on hips.

"Were too, you might have been more studious than us, but you were just as devious as us." I remember many a nights Angelina would sneak out with us, or go down to the kitchen for a snack. The house-elves were the best card players and they could throw a party.

"Remember the time you went skinny dipping in the lake?"

"Only because you all dared me to." She says

"Of course we dared you, we all young and horny and fancied you like mad, we never thought you'd actually do it."

"I miss those days." She says softly.

I pull her into my arms. "I do too."

"Everything is changing, I mean Dumbledore is dead, and I'm actually sad that Snape is dead too."

"Who knew that Snape was really a hero."

"Dumbledore, and now he's gone, and Snape's gone and Fred is gone." She shakes her head. "Sometimes being back here makes everything harder, there are so many memories." She looks out the window staring seemingly at nothing. "I really want to put and end to all this blood class nonsense but I know I never will."

"You'll try your hardest." I say kissing her on the forehead.

"I will." She says sitting down behind her desk. I should finish up this syllabus and you should be getting to the shop, Verity will be needing a hand."

I look at my watch and realize that Angelina's right. There still a lot to do before we can open our second shop. "See at lunch." I say and give Angelina a lingering kiss. Before I leave Hogwarts I go to Gryffindor tower.

"Grindylow" I say to the fat lady, Angelina gave me the password. The picture swing open for me. I stand in the empty common room. It seems so much smaller now. All the days I spent here goofing around, pulling pranks and planning for the joke shop. How many times did I play exploding snap with Lee, Katie, Oliver, and Alicia in this common room. If these wall could talk.

I sit down in one of the arm chairs and it almost feels as if I'm still going to school here. Sometimes I have dreams about being back in school, but in my dreams I never go to class, I just always trying to get there. Sometimes Fred is there too. There's a commemorative plaque dedicated to Fred right by the piece of portable swamp we left before we hauled broom out of this place. It's still hard to believe that all Fred is to some people is a memory. I didn't want to come here and now I don't want to leave, but I do have a shop to run, and so I leave the grounds and apparate to my shop.

Verity is already there doing inventory and stocking the shelves.

"Sorry I'm late, had to see Angelina off to Hogwarts."

"Oh yeah how are things going for her?"

"Well she's nervous but that's to be expected."

It's only mid July but before you know it September 1st will have rolled around and school will be back in session. Verity and I work hard all through the morning and by lunch time I'm feeling knackered.

"Wow the two of you are really getting along." Angelina says looking around the shop. She's brought lunch with her and bends down to kiss me. "Are you hungry Verity?" Angelina ask. "I brought lunch for you too."

"Thank Merlin I'm completely famished."

"Do you like egg mayonnaise?"

"I love it." Verity says and Angelina hands her a sandwich. As we eat lunch we talk about our day and complain about the cost of floo powder, and what new music we like. Then Angelina and I apparate to the Diagon alley shop. Katie Davies nee Bell's good friend Leanne Warren is helping out at the Diagon alley shop. The place is packed as usual, and Leanne looks glad to see us.

"Its been completely mad in here." Leanne says. Angelina helps to get the long lines of customers down, but then she has to get back to Hogwarts. The shop keeps Leanne and so busy we don't have time for another break throughout the day. The shop stays busy right up until closing time. Both Angelina and I come home that night completely exhausted. Since neither of us feel like cook we have dinner we go the Leaky Cauldron and have dinner with Neville and Hanna. I wonder if the two of them will get married they seem pretty exclusive. Angelina informed me people get married to each other at a much younger age than in the Wizarding world than they do in the Muggle world.

Also divorce is something that isn't the done thing in the Wizarding world, I guess because for so long people have put such importance on blood purity and keeping the Wizarding line going. I can't imagine ever divorcing Angelina I want to stay married to her until were both too old to remember each other.

"You two are so cute together." Hannah says. "I don't care what people say."

Angelina looks up from her salad. "People are saying things about us?"

Hannah turns an uncomfortable shade of red. "Just mean people, jealous people really."

"Doesn't matter what they say." Neville puts in. People must be saying pretty nasty things if neither of them want to say what's being said about us, probably people we know. Possibly even people we thought we were friends with.

"You're right." Angelina says. "It doesn't matter what other people think, George and I love each other and that's all that matters. "Right honey."

"Right." I say but I still want to know what's being said and who's saying it, and I can tell by the look Angelina's trying to suppress that she wants to know just as well.


	2. Chapter 2 Friends, Foes, and Fisticuffs

**Hope-W:** You can read all about George's addiction in the prequel I wrote to this story called "Stages" I meant to write that this story was the Sequel to Stages, but couldn't it the summary.

**Chapter Two**

**Friends, Foes, and Fisticuffs**

_Today has been a fucked up day_

_Today has been a fucked up day_

_Today has been a fucked up day_

_Looks like tomorrow'll be the same old day_

**Today has been a fucked up day-Beck**

"Guess who I just saw with an arm load of expensive dresses."

"Who?"

"Angelina Weasley."

My face feels like egg has dried on it. That's how stiff it is. I'm in the changing room at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. I'm trying on dresses for the Diagon Alley Black Robe Gala George and I are attending later to night, when I hear my name mentioned in the next cubical over. Ever since Hannah mentioned that other people are talking about us I've been hypersensitive anytime I'm in public. I always think people are talking about me, and this time I was right. I hang the dress on the back of the door and keen my ears to hear what's being said about me.

"I can't believe she married George Weasley." The first speaker says and their voice sounds vaguely familiar. "She must be really desperate, poor George." Now I know who the voice belongs to, it's Marietta Edgecombe. She's the one who snitched about Dumbledore's Army and ended up with spots all over her face. She's friends with Cho Chan, but the second voice doesn't belong to Cho.

'Remember how George and Lee used to follow Angelina around like puppies, but she was to busy trying to get off with Fred to notice." Says the second speaker whose voice I don't know at all. "You'd think she'd still be broken up about Fred's death, but no she goes off and marries George like nothing ever happened."

"I'm surprised she married anyone, in school she always acted as if she no boy was good enough for her. That's why Fred ended things with her"

"Well I reckon if you have the money that George does you can buy anything you want, even Angelina Johnson." They both snicker.

I don't know where I'm finding the restraint when all I want to do is march out of this changing room and go smack Marietta and her friend across the face. My chest feels tight and I realise the whole time I've been clenching my fist. I now have a neat set of crescent moon shapes on the palm of my hands caused by fingernails digging into flesh. My wand trembles in my hand I want to use it so badly I can't breath. I start to pace in the small space wondering what I should do. Should I confront them? Would I be able to contain myself if I confronted them right now? I let out a slow deep breath, I don't think I would.

I can't believe Marietta would talk about me or George like that. What in the hell have I ever done to her, and who is this other girl to even talk about me? Haven't George and been through enough drama for two life times? Why do people have to have such a problem with us being together? Do they think it's always easy for us? We felt guilty too, felt guilty for such a long time, but we finally put all of that past us and got married.

At least I thought it was all past us, but how can it ever be past us if people won't stop going on about it? I sigh and sit down. I know one thing I'm not going to do and that's tell George. I know I can't treat him as if he's made of glass the rest of his life, but he doesn't need to know about this it will only upset him. I sit in the changing room until Marietta and her friend leave, then I pick out the dress I like pay for it and leave.

I know that Katie is home today, Alicia is Spain for a Quidditch match, so I apparate to Katie's house.

"What's wrong? You look upset." Katie says as soon as she sees my face.

I tell her about what Hannah said and that I heard some one talking about me at Madame Malkin's. I don't go into detail, it still hurts too much right now to repeat.

"Why don't we go to the park and talk about it, you'll feel better if you get some fresh air."

I wait while Katie secures Aber in his sling and puts a lead on her dog Pimbly.

"So have you heard people say about us?" I ask as soon as we step out the door.

"Nothing worth repeating, look don't get yourself worked up about it."

"I know I shouldn't care, but it just makes me so upset, George and I have been through so much and were finally doing good and it's like people want to begrudge us that and I just understand why."

"Well that article _The Daily Prophet _wrote up about the joke shop has a lot of people seeing green The Weasley were poor for along time, I don't think some people like the ideal of them having money ."

"Yeah but some of it has nothing to do with money, some people just hate the I ideal of George and I together full stop."

"Well you're not going to change those peoples minds, and you're the one that has to live with George and not them so don't worry about it."

"You're right." I say.

"Since were on the subject of talking about people did you hear Pansy is pregnant."

I arch one eyebrow and ask "With what?"

Katie laughs. "I can't believe our children will have go to school with her spawn."

"I'll be lucky if Hogwarts let's in any of the children George and I have."

"So are you trying for kids then?"

"No not yet, things are just so busy with the shop that we wouldn't have time for a child."

"Well don't wait too long." Katie says.

"Now you sound like Molly." I say. "She gagging for us to have children. I think she's hoping we'll have twins. I think George is kind of hoping too."

"Do you want twins?"

"I don't know, I don't think I could handle two babies at once, even with magic."

"Well babies are a lot of work, but I wouldn't trade Aber for all the galleons in the world."

"How is Roger doing?"

"Good, but I hardly get to see him we've both been working so much and what time we do have to be together were usually taking care of Aber."

"Well I could watch him sometimes, maybe even over night, I've been watching Victoire. She's such a sweet baby she smiles a lot and hardly ever cries."

"I wish I could say the same about my little guy, but his screams could knock down walls." We both laugh.

"I finally handed in my syllabus to McGonagall, I know I'm meant to call her Minerva but it's just too weird." I say.

"I can't believe you're Professor Weasley, if I expect anyone to teach Muggle studies it would have been Hermione Granger. "

"No she's very happy with her Ministry job."

"So who's the new Defense against the Dark Arts Professor?"

"Kinnon Abercrombie."

"Didn't he play for the Ballycastle Bats for a bit?"

"Yeah he was a chaser very good, then his parents, younger sister, and brother-in-law were killed by Death Eaters and he just quit the team.

"Oh how sad." Katie says.

"I know almost his whole family gone, still he's really nice though. He was in Hufflepuff, graduated from Hogwarts in '91, he was in Charlie's year. He's got a nephew in Gryffindor called Euan, he's been looking after him since his mother and father were killed."

"This war has made too many children Orphans." Katie says.

We walk in silence for awhile both lost in our own memories of the war. I wish I could just turn those memories off, especially the ones about Montague. Every time I think about his hands on my body it makes me feel dirty as if I did something wrong. That bastard took away a lot more than my Quidditch career. I don't know if that breath of fresh air made me feel better or worse.

When we get back to Katie's she lets Pimbly of his led and he goes to drink nosily from his bowl. She puts Aber down for a nap the goes to make tea.

"You look awfully pensive." Katie says coming into the room with a tea tray.

"Just thinking about things." I say as I accept the tea from Katie.

"You're going to be an excellent Professor Angelina." Katie says.

"Alicia comes back from Spain tomorrow." I say changing the subject, again.

"I'm so happy that Portreeis doing good this year."

"Me too." I say. We spend a few minutes talking about Alicia and her thick hunky Australian boy toy Skyler. I change Aber's pooie nappy. Merlin he's only a tiny little thing but the smell How can something so little make so much poo? Katie and I chat until I look at the time a realise I'm due to me George at the shop.

It's Saturday, and I took the day off so that means I don't have to worry about training for my Muggle Studies job. I never gave thought to how much work our professors had to do when I attended Hogwarts, but I sure have now. Sometimes I think it's harder to train to become a professor than it was for Quidditch. I mean I'll be shaping young minds, trying to get them to see that this whole blood-class way of thinking is rubbish.

The joke shop is busy as usual, a bunch of Japanese tourist seem especially delight with the shop and are buying things like they'll never get the chance again. Leanne seems to be running things smoothly, we hired two more assistants to help her out. I say hi to everyone and go back to George's office.

"I'm almost done with the speechless spice drops." George says. His latest invention. George always carries around a piece of parchment now, and keeps a quill tucked behind his good ear for when he's stuck with sudden inspiration. I've gotten used to him pulling the quill out at odd times and madly jotting things down.

I sit down on his lap and kiss him on his mouth. The first night in our new home in our new bed I cried. Of course George being a typical male freaked out and got it wrong. He was sure I was sad, or that he'd done something wrong.

"I'm crying because I'm so happy." I told him. "I couldn't want anything more that what I have right now." I still feel that way, I love George and every time I think of what Mariette said it makes my blood burn. Does she really think I'd go after George because he has money now? I'm not chattel I can't be brought. The one thing I always liked about George was money never matter to him. True he didn't like being poor, but he also didn't open up a joke shop to become rich.

'You seem tense." George says. "Nervous about starting your new job?"

"Yes." I say because it's easier than telling the truth. I feel guilty for lying to George, we haven't even been married a year and already I'm lying to him. I know your not meant to kept secrets for each other when you're married, but George is still recovering and this seems like such unnecessary thing to bother him with, besides I can handle it by myself.

"Don't be you're going to be a wonderful professor kitten." He says returning my kiss.

"Don't forget we have that Gala tonight." I remind him.

"Noooo! I don't wanna ware no stinking dress robes." George whinges.

"Come on for me." I say and kiss behind his ear.

"Now you're fighting dirty."

George and I have been attending several business luncheons and going to social events all in the name of networking, and already it's paid off. We're selling our sweets at the Leaky Cauldron. We mange to contract our fireworks to quite a few Quidditch stadiums, and other events. We've also been doing a lot more advertising, and have quite a few writes about the shop in magazines.

It takes a couple more kisses but I finally coax George into going home and getting dressed up. "I don't know why you always put up a such a fuss George, you look so sexy all dressed up." I say.

"Looking sexy yourself, tell me how did you get in that dress?" He takes me by the hand and turns me around slowly so that he can get a look at all of me, and I know all the time and effort I put into to looking good for him was worth it. "Better yet how do you get out of it."

My dress is just a simple and black, but the front has a high front collar, but the back dips severally. It fits my body like poured on liquid, If I can't play Quidditch at least I can show off what playing Quidditch does for your body. If people are going to talk about us, then we'll give them something to talk about.

Everyone at the Gala is dressed to the 9's. Malfoy is here thought I don't recall him owning a shop of any kind. He's brought along his date Daphne Greengrass who walks in on Malyfoy's arm as if she's royalty. Perhaps Daphne or someone in her family is a shop owner.

George and I don't even make through the doors before were swallowed up by a crush of reporters their cameras flashing like mad. Daphne give them an incredulous look as if she can't believe they'd rather take our pictures over hers. She can have them I think as George and I try to get inside quickly as possible. George looks longingly at the fully stocked bar and I steer him away from it and towards the food.

I look across the room and see Pansy Zabini nee Parkinson on Blaise's arm. Blaise looks arrogant, bored and handsome all at the same time. The pair of them should be in Azkaban, no doubt their New Death Eaters or they at least heavily funded the splinter group. Katie's, who works for the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, is still upset she couldn't bust Pansy for being a part of that group, not enough evidence.

Recently Pansy opened up an elitist "Social Club" called Silver and Green (Highly original don't you think?) for the distinguished Witch and Wizard, code for Pure-Bloods only. She spots me looking at her, and points at me then whispers something in Blaise's ear, and they both look at me and laugh. She is such a complete cow. I already feel sorry for her child.

George and I have been living in a sort of a hermetic bubble, when we were dealing with Fred's death and George's drug problem we didn't really have time to hear what everyone else was saying about us, not really. Not like we do now.

I can't dwell on it too much because all night reports from different magazines keep coming up to George and I asking us questions. Everyone at the party seems to want to talk to us. After awhile it seems like we are the party. I must admit that I like it. I like feeling like the it couple just for one night. The feeling doesn't last long though.

"Hello I'm Taffy Younghusband editor-in-chief for The _Associated Wizarding Press_._"_ Says a young Wizard. He is very handsome in an cherubic aristocrat kind of way. He's got a peaches and cream complexion. His golden blond hair is soft and curly, and he's got wide green eyes with the thickest lashes I have ever seen. His features look like they've been chiseled out of marble. His body is lean but muscular as if he works out regularly. He holds out his hand for George to shake. George ignores his hand.

"Mind if I ask you a few questions?" With out waiting for either of us to answer he launches on. "If there was a magic spell that could bring your brother back, but would kill Angelina would you cast it?"

"WHAT!" George bellows. Several heads turn to look at us.

"Should I repeat the question?' Taffy asks his voice sounds very aristocratic. I look at the dress robes he's wearing and realise he must come from money. Old money. He sees me sizing him up, and slowly looks me up and down. "Smashing dress by the way Angelina."

I grab George's forearm because I know he's ready to pounce. His face is becoming a dangerous shade of red. I think back to our seventh year when he and Harry attacked Malfoy, after he taunted them because he'd lost a match against us. I had tried to restrain Fred much in the way I'm trying to restrain George now. It hadn't worked though it had taken Me, Katie and Alicia to hold Fred back, the Weasleys men aren't exactly know for their restraint.

"He's trying to get a reaction out of you George don't let him do it." I say thought I really want to kick Taffy in his groin.

"Yes best do what wifey says." Taffy coos

"George please let's just go." I can feel his forearm flexing and becoming tense. I give his hand a little squeeze and we turn and start walking away. Taffy realizing that his next big headline is getting away fires off a parting shot.

"I must say Angelina that dress is even more smashing from the back"

George spins around faster that I can blink it seems.

"No!" I shout as he grabs Taffy's collar.

Taffy easily throws George to the floor if he was expecting this, and of course he was. He's done his homework and already knows what a hothead my husband is. I can hear Pansy laughing hysterically as George is flung to the floor.

George leaps quickly to his feet, quicker than Taffy could anticipate and punches Taffy in the jaw knocking to the ground. A million cameras start flashing and I know this can't be good.


	3. Chapter 3 A Better Man

**A/N: **Ack! I was so excited to get this chapter up I forgot my notes, a friend read my story and said I should stop with the author's not because "I over share an overwhelm my readers" But I miss leaving ya'll notes. Pretty Please read and reivew and as always your feed back is greatly appreciated. Hugs and kisses

**Hope-W** I feel bad for putting George and Angelina through the wringer again after making them so happy too, but into each our lives a little drama must fall

**Skateboard c**- Wow your review just blew me away! You must be some kind of writer because you certainly have a way with words.

**Chapter Three**

**A Better Man**

_And I don't want the world to see me,_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
><em>

_When everything's made to be broken,_

_I just want you to know who I am._

**Iris- Goo Goo Dolls**

Angelina is definitely one of those women who looks beautiful when she's mad, and right now her face could launch ten million ships. She is pacing madly across out bedroom her long shapely dark legs flashing teasingly between her silk dressing gown. She's wearing fuzzy trimmed high heeled slippers I brought her. Damn it she looks good in her anger.

"How dare he! How dare that bastard ask a question like that."

"I should have hit him harder"

"No you shouldn't have, Taffy knew exactly what he was doing when he goaded you like that." Angelina says. "He wanted to cause a scene."

Angelina and I were promptly throw out after my assault on Taffy. Actually they were going to allow Angelina to stay, but she refused since the powers that be wouldn't allow me to stay. Of course Taffy was allowed to stay.

"The rich prat I wasn't going to let him talk about you or my brother that way."

"I know you were defending our honour, but George you have to work on controlling your temper." She stops pacing. "I mean are you going to get into a fight with someone every time they say something you don't like?" .

"No, but there's no way I was going to get my arse kicked by some burke named Taffy."

"This isn't funny!" Angelina shouts. She crosses the room and stands next to where I'm sitting on the bed. "I worry about you so much, you're so impulsive George, and impulses have consequences, life changing consequences, I have thought you'd of learnt that by now. I couldn't bare it if anything happened to you." She bites her bottom lip.

"I know Angie I know" I wish for the umpteenth time that Fred was alive, to have someone who always understood you totally and completely is a gift worth more than anything in the world. At times I feel like such an outcast even in my own family. They can't understand me. I know at times my parents wish I could be more like Bill , Charlie or Ron. Towing the line, keeping with tradition, and not making waves.

Fred and I have always been the black sheep of our family. Charlie may not be married and live in Romania, but in school he still towed he line in school and he was a prefect. Fred and I dropped out of school and despite my mother's anger and father's disappointment opened our own joke shop. We were never prefects, never wanted to be. We never wanted a Ministry job, in fact a can't thing of single thing worst than working for the Ministry. Oh yeah wearing dress robes.

"You think this is the end of this?" Angelina is saying. "That Taffy bloke is going to be gunning for you now that he knows he can get under your skin."

"I guess we're never going to bed, not with you being so angry."

Despite herself Angelina has to laugh. "Don't try and use humour to get out of this Gerogie." She says but I notice her shoulder have relaxed and the scowl is off her face.

I pull her onto my lap. When ever Angelina is having a go at me humor is my only defense, Fred and I learnt from a young age humor is a good defense against an angry woman.

"I'm serious though, George promise me you'll work on controlling your temper."

"I promise." I say though every time I think about Taffy Younghusband I want to smash his stupid face in. I could tell the moment he came up to me he thought he was better than me. I could see the upper crust breeding rolling off him in waves. He reminded me of a Malfoy or one of the rich Ministry officers my dad used to have to kowtow to just to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads.

Angelina can't understand, even though she's had awful childhood, she' doesn't know what it's like to be poor. Her parent were well enough off just like her aunt and uncle whom she grew up with. She didn't have to go with out. She didn't grow up with parents that talked in whispers late at night about how would they pay their bills. Our parents never wanted to discuss how much they were struggling with us, didn't want us to think we were burdens.

Once I remember mum coming home in tears. Dad had finally saved up enough money to take mum to this posh restaurant she'd been dying to try. When she got there they wouldn't let her in because her clothes weren't "smart" enough. All the rich Witches in the restaurant made fun of my mum's dress even though she had to save up to buy it, and it was the nicest dress she'd ever owned. I've had enough of old money looking down their pure-blood noses at me and my family. Taffy should be grateful I didn't break his.

When George and I first attended Hogwarts we were laughed at and teased. Our robes were old and patched. Our cauldrons leaked, and our books were falling apart. All of our clothes were hand-me-downs, and our trainers were at least five years out of fashion. Also we had red hair and freckles, and to top it off we'd soaked half the students on the train with water balloons we charmed to attack people.

We didn't start off popular, we had to be over the top in order to over come all of those stigmas. We had to be extra aggressive just to survive. Sometimes our being funny was just a coping mechanism. We were twins which meant we got it worse than Charlie and Bill. When you're a twin naturally you're going to be the center of attention, good or bad. Eventually things changed, but before that we were picked on by rich arrogant arses just like Taffy.

"Where did you go George?" Angelina asks taping me on the temple.

"Just thinking." I say rubbing her legs they feel smooth like silk.

"Look you know I don't like yelling at you."

I pull my head back and look at Angelina as if I've never seen he before. "Oh really?" I remember Angelina yelling down Hogwarts when Fred and I got kicked off the Quidditch team.

Angelina slaps me lightly on the chest. "What am I going to do with you George Gavin Weasley?"

"Shag me senseless."

"Well." Angelina says pulling on the corner of my shirt. "Since you asked nicely."

* * *

><p>Angelina and I are front page news, not just in <em>The Daily Prophet <em>either. The only good thing in all of this was that the reporters didn't get a picture of Taffy throwing me to the ground, but they do have one of him being knocked flat on his arse. As expected he wrote an article in which he thoroughly trashed me, said Angelina was out of my league, and called me nouveau riche. After I read the article Angelina gave me a calming draught.

"Can you believe how shallow and stupid some women can be?" Mutters Angelina whilst reading a magazine called _Today's Modern Witch. _"There's an article in the "Happenings" section that says the dress I wore last night sold out."

I shrug. "What's so shallow about that you looked bloody good in that dress."

"Yes, but the only reason these women are buying it is because it's connected to scandal not because they think they'll look good in it. According to this magazine my dress is the whole reason you and Taffy fought" She throws the magazine the rubbish bin. "How sexist is that?"

"Forget about that stupid magazine." I say. "Next week everyone will forgotten about us when the next scandal happens."

"Wow that calming draught worked a treat." Angelina says.

I nod and shove the rest of my bacon roll in my mouth.

"Eww, George take smaller bites you look like a snake trying to sallow an elephant."

I sallow hard. "Yes mother."

"Speaking of your mum, do you think she saw the papers yet?"

"Our mum." I correct. My mum has taken Angelina in as if she were her own daughter, her own mother (a devout Christian) disowned her for being born a witch.. "Seeing how there isn't a howler on this table I'd say not yet."

"I'll be round the shop a little late today, I've got my ballet classes."

Angelina started taking ballet classes in Hampton when I was in rehab as a way to keep herself busy while she waited for my release, but she liked the classes so much she's continued on. Angelina told me if she didn't find out that she was a Witch that she'd of been a ballerina. Ballet had been her life before she discovered Quidditch.

She points her wand at the dishes and they fly into the sink. Another flick of the wand the breakfast dishes start washing themselves. "Oh and don't forget Friday Lee and Parvati are having party.

I grin. "Oh yes their Living-in-sin Shindig." Lee and Parvati have moved in together. Both of their parents are livid that their children would have the audacity to live together before marraige, but the war has changed a lot of things.

"Parvati said she fell in love with Lee when he started doing Potterwatch and she was hiding out in the room of requirements. Isn't that so romantic." Angelina sighs.

"Uh yeah real romantic."

"You're just saying that, but I still think its romantic, and Lee's a hero he was the only life line the students had when they were hiding out."

"Yeah Lee is a hero, but then he's always been one." I say of my best friend. I'm so glad Lee made it out of the war alive, I don't know what I would have done if I lost my twin and my best mate. Lee never once turned his back on me when I started doing drugs. He's been a true mate ever since the first day we meet in Diagon alley shopping for first year school supplies.

I get changed for work and apparate to shop. Today it's pack almost beyond capacity. Whenever I go out on the sales floor I can hear people whispering about me. I see people pointing at me. It's just like it was after Fred's death. After Fred died people would come by the shop and gawk at me or point a me. They would talk about me as if I wasn't in the room. It was like being in the bloody zoo. It's times like these I remember why I turned to drugs in the first place, but I also remember the hell I put everyone who loves me through.

Never in a million years did I think I'd become addicted to drugs. Not me I was George Gavin Weasley. A business man, a family guy, and a war hero. I just though the drugs would take the edge off and help me cope. Instead they kicked my arse and I wound up on a pissy mattress in Knock Turn Alley out of my mind on some black listed potion.

I don't ever want to go to such a dark place again. I wish I never knew such a dark place existed but I can't undo the past. If I could do that Fred would still be alive. It seems so unfair that the shop's doing well and he's not here to see it. It was his ideal in the first place.

Percy stops by the shop. I hope to Merlin he isn't here to lecture me about proper decorum because I'd hate to have to toss him out of my shop on his bony arse.

"I've come to warn you about Taffy Younghusband ." He begins. " I used to work with him in the Ministry, and he never did anything without having some sort of hidden agenda."

"Yeah his agenda was to piss me off and make me look like a arse mission accomplished"

"No that was only the tip of the Iceberg, you don't know Taffy as I do, he's very cunning, very smart, did you he attended Wickingham?"

"What's Wickingham?"

"It's a very exclusive Wizarding school only twelve students are accepted every year. The exams to get in are some of the most rigorous in the Wizarding World"

"Percy why are you telling me all this?"

"You've bruised a ruthless, smart, and well connected Wizard's ego, a Wizard who already had his sites set on you George, he won't take that lightly."

"Look I didn't set out to make this prat angry, but he started it and I finished it."

"If you perhaps apologised to him."

"Apologise , I didn't do anything wrong I have nothing to be sorry for."

"Well it may stop Taffy-

"Look if this Taffy is half as vindictive as you say he is then it doesn't matter does it? If he's coming after me then he's coming after me, or did you not read the charming article he wrote about me?"

"Look I'm not trying to make you angry"

"Could have fooled me." I think the calming draught has worn off.

"Just look out for him, I'm sure he's got something up his sleeve." Percy nods curtly spins on his heels and stalks out the shop. He's such a bloody git, but in a way he's just like me, neither of us will stop being who we are just because others don't like us. We have to be ourselves.

I meet Angelina in her office for lunch. I hear her laughter before I even get in the door, she is talking very animatedly to someone. The someone turns out to be my father. He's sitting on her desk watching her use what I know to be a laptop.

"Oh good George is here!" She says popping out of her seat when she sees me. "The most wonderful thing has happened." For a moment I think she might be pregnant, but she wouldn't tell my father before she told me. "Look the laptop works!"

"So." I say.

"So- normally Muggle objects like mobile phones or computers don't work at Hogwarts, it's magic makes it go haywire." She puts her hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah."

"Well your father and the Ministry worked it so that we can use Muggle things in my classroom, it's brilliant isn't it? It took loads of spells ,charms and enchantments just to make it work"

'I've been learning the most fascinating things about Muggles." My dad says to me. "Angelina been showing me the Innernet."

"Internet" Angelina corrects.

"They even have spells on the innernet, and not all of them are rubbish." My dad sounds like the kids at the joke shop. Even his face looks younger. There's nothing dad likes better than to tinker around with Muggle objects.

"I thought I'd do a sort of show and tell, have the students bring in their favourite things, that way everyone leans something about each other, and Muggle objects at the same time." Angelina's grin is huge, she's really taken to this teaching job like a duck to water. I wonder if she'll take the job up permanently- she sure seems to like it. I don't want to crush her dreams, but I was hoping she'd start working with me at the shop again. I'm _too_ needy I think. I need her _too_ much.

Sometimes my love for Angelina feels selfish, like I'm the one reaping all the benefits and she gets all the heartache. I know Angelina wouldn't be with me if she didn't love me. She told me how much it hurt to try and be with Oliver when she had no feelings for him ,but I'm scared one day she'll decide that being with me is just too hard and she'll leave me.

So far our marriage has be happy but it isn't prefect. There are times when I get moody and Angelina has to tip toe around me. Other days I'm silent and the quietness in our house is so loud it's palpable. I want to say something to her, tell her I'm sorry that I don't mean to be this way, that I can't stand being this way, but I'm not the same person I used to be. Therapy is helping but it doesn't seemed to be helping fast enough, or maybe I'm expecting to be fixed yesterday so that I can through today. I want to tell her all this. I should tell her all this.

"Good ideal Angie." I say brightly.

"Angelina's really going to change Muggle Wizarding relations." My dad says. "This is the right time to do it , I've been wafting so long for something like this, and finally people are ready for a change." He looks at Angelina fondly just the way he does whenever Ginny does something to make him proud.

I can't tell her how I feel, not when she's this happy about something, she already had to give up her Quidditch career I can't ask her to give up her teaching job as well. It's so hard being with somebody, especially as a twin, you forget that you're a single unit, it's like you have to retrain your brain after years of double thinking. I feel like those herding dogs that aren't brought up on farms and have no sheep to herd, and so instead they herd the family's children.

The need for me to be a part of a pair is so strong it's almost an instinct, but by the same token it's also what makes me pull away because I know I'll never have that type of connection again. I hope everyday that when Angelina said she'd always loved me she meant it, because sometimes I don't think she really knows what she's gotten herself into.


	4. Chapter 4 Cause and Effect

_**In Loving Memory of D.L.W 1932-2011**_

**A/N: **Thank you very much **ZombieInk **your review couldn't have come at a better time. Sometimes life has a funny way of making you smile.

**Chapter Four**  
><strong>Cause and Effect<strong>  
><em>The Space Between<em>  
><em>What's wrong and right<em>  
><em>Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you<em>  
><em>The Space Between<em>  
><em>Your heart and mine<em>  
><em>Is the space we'll fill with time<em>  
><strong>The Space Between- The Dave Matthews Band<strong>

"I'm Angelina Weasley and I'm here to see Taffy Younghusband." I say.

"Do you have an appointment?" The young uber blonde witch asks.

"No but he'll see me. I say because I know that he will. I should be at my ballet class in Hampton, but instead I'm at Taffy Younghusband's offices in London. The address of the _Associated Wizarding Press _was on the magazine. So I apparate outside of the office building.

George doesn't know that I am here, and if he did he'd go mental, but I've got to try and do something, I've got to try and stop Taffy from going after George, or George will go after Taffy. I have to try and defuse the situation.

George and I made love this morning ,but George was so distance, even when he held me afterward it was like we were on two different planets. It was the first time anything like that happened to us. All morning George looked so melancholy like a Basset hound with blue eyes. I know part of it has to do with the article Taffy wrote, and when you mess with my loved ones, and bring unhappiness into my happy home, then you have answer to me. I'm a Gryffindor for a reason.

The lobby of the _Associated Wizarding Press _is very posh, marble floors, wall to floor windows, and huge fountains. All the seats are sleek and leather. The atrium is bright and sunny despite it being gray and rainy outside.

"Like Oh my Godric! You're _thee_ Angelina Weasley!" The girl behind the front desk shrieks all of a sudden so that I jump back startled. "I read about you in TMW."

'In what?"

"_Today's Modern Witch ." _Shakes her head and rolls her sky blue eyes as if I'm the only one on the face of the planet who doesn't know what TMW stands for.

"Listen, I look down at the nameplate strategically placed on her ample cleavage, _Slone_ just tell Taffy I'm here to see him."

"Ok." She says sighing deeply, and then speaks huskily into her wand. "Mr. Younghusband Angelina Weasley is like here to see you."

"Good send her in straight away." Comes back his reply from Slone's wand

"He'll like see you now" She blinks dully.

"Like der" I say to Slone roll my eyes flick my hair and sashay into Taffy's office. I know Slone will probably tell everyone she meets that "Angelina Weasley is like a total bitch, but I like don't care. I've got my sites set on Taffy.

"So I gather you read my article. Did you know that this edition was the fastest selling in our company's history, It's what you've come to talk to me about isn't it, my article in the _AWP _magazine"

"No Taffy, I've come to ask you where you got those charming cuff links you wore during the Gala."

Taffy laughs. "You should be honoured people are fascinated by you and your husband."

"Only some as morally bankrupt as you would think like that." I snap. I don't like Taffy, but there's something specifically about him that I don't like, there's an inhuman quality to him where it seems only acting a part, and underneath he's willing to do whatever to whoever in order to get what he wants.

"Why are you going after my husband?" I ask though really I wonder why I came here, just because I asked him doesn't mean he'll tell me the truth.

"I'm taking him on because I want to make a name for myself plain and simple, and your Greek tragedy freak-show of a marriage is all anyone can talk about. The rags to riches story of two star crossed lovers, staring George Weasley the White Knight who always overcomes."

"If I didn't know better I'd say you're jealous of my husband."

"I assure you if there's one thing I'm not, it's jealous of that ginger nob."

"My husband is ten times the man you'll ever be."

"Oh really I've never done drugs."

"You've also never lost a twin." I say.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself sweetness." Taffy says as if bored.

"Look my husband is been trough a lot, and he's still trying to put himself back together, and the last thing he needs is something like this, so please if you have any amount of human decency in you, just leave my husband alone."

'You must care about him very much to have come down here, but you have to know that I won't stop writing about the pair of you."

"There are other stories." I say. '

"No there isn't not like the pair of you, you think your friends aren't like everyone else out there? They're all waiting for you two to self-destruct because the reality of it is no one is expecting something as wrong up as the pair of you to last."

"You're vile, your are the most pathetic excuse for a Wizard and that includes Voldemort." I spit at him. "You _are_ jealous, you just cannot stand the fact that someone you consider as low class as my husband is doing better than you can you?"

He knows he's hit a nerve in me, but I know I've hit a nerve in him. The gauntlet has been thrown down and now it's on.

"It must kill you to know that a Hogwarts dropout is doing better than a Wickingham graduate." I sneer. I hate him. I hate him. Oh how I bloody hate him.

"I used to admire you Angelina. For a half-blood you're smart and beautiful and oh how you could ride a broom, I used to think you married Weasley out of some kind of misguided sense of duty, but now I see you actually like rolling in filth." He gives me a withering up and down glance. "You're no better than you should be."

"As if that's an insult coming from you, and I married George because he's a hero among other things you couldn't hope to understand, and so he has faults who doesn't, but you ,there are no words for what you are. At the end of it all who do you think the world will remember you or my husband?"

I don't wait for a response I march straight out of his office. I walk a few blocks from his office and lean against the wall. I am feeling all shaky with anger and my stomach is in knots from our confrontation. I should have never went there all I wanted to do was protect George, but now I've made everything so much worse , and I know he'll take it out on George to get back at me. It's ironic that I yell at George for being impulsive but then I go off impulsively.

I apparate to the shop. Today it's filled with kids screaming their heads off and generally tearing up the place apart. I help get the lines down, clean up, and restock some of the shelves before heading back to George's office.

He is slowly stirring some bubbling potion. He's covered in sweat his eyebrows are knitted together as he bites down on his bottom lip. Back here in his office**\ **laboratory George is completely different. So serious and intense that you'd never know he was the kind of man who joked around and loved to pull pranks. Even thought it's a joke shop he takes his work very seriously. Whatever product he puts out has to be the best, and I've notice after Fred's death he pushes himself even harder. Sometime_s too _hard.

"Hello darling." I say.

George slowly turns from the cauldron to look at me.

"Hey kitten how was your class?"

"Oh it was the same old same old." I say evasively. I hate how easy it's becoming to lying to my husband.

"Chicanery has agreed to play at the opening of the Hogsmeade store." George says. Chicanery is the band that played at our wedding. They're becoming very popular so it will be really great for the shop to have them play. He points his wand at the cauldron and says "Suspendere "

"That's good." I say. "I can't wait till the first Hogsmeade's weekend at Hogwarts."

"We're finally coming together." George says pulling me into his arms. I nestle my head under his chin. "Angelina"

"Yes?" I say because George takes such a long pause.

"Nothing." He says but the melancholy look is back in his eyes. He goes back to his pot and starts to stir it again. The hard look of concentration is back on his face and it's as if I'm no longer in the room anymore.

It hurts when George pulls away from me, but I know I can't crowd him, I have to give him space until her comes out of it. I worry that one day he won't be able to, what if he gets so bad that he has to go back to rehab? They say relapse is a part of recovery and I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's not fair to him that I'm perpetually crash position, but I also can't forget how awful things got when George was using. I want him to stop hurting and I want people to stop hurting him.

"Come on let's go back to the Bluebell and have dinner. The Bluebell is what we named our house because of all the English bluebells growing all around it. I love our home, a Tudor style cottage George had built just for me. I don't doubt that he loves me, but it's like he doesn't always know how to talk to me, and that hurts. Yet I'm hiding things from him because I'm afraid he won't be able to handle them. I'm can't tell him about Marietta or Taffy not when he seems to be going through something. If only I could see into his mind. How is it that George and I can be so close together but yet still feels so far apart?

I start on dinner. I decided on Lime seared prawns with mint and cilantro chutney. I got the recipe out of a cookery book Molly gave me. At least food is the one thing George and I still have. I love cooking and he loves eating. If I'm not careful I'll turn George into a chubby hubby.

George points his wand to lay the table.

"I'm trying Angie." George says suddenly. "Just don't give up on me."

I whip my heard round from the stove. "I would never give up on you." I say. "Never."

"I know I'm not the way I was I still feel so broken."

'It's going to take time darling."

"I just need you to understand." He says. "Look I'm going to go for a walk I need to clear my head."

He's going to visit Fred. He does that often, goes out to Fred's grave to talk to him. I know he spent the first night after Fred was buried sleeping on Fred's grave. It's where he goes when he wants to feel close to his brother. He'll be out there for hours on end talking to his brother's grave.

What is it he's finding so hard to say to me? George and I usually talk about everything. The twins have always liked talking. A lot. George and used to like to talk for hours contemplating the wonders of the universe. It drove Fred mad. Molly said she always knew I was going to marry George instead of Fred., but I did love Fred I loved him so much. Sometimes my heart is at war with itself.

I set the food on the table and wonder if I should not bother, George might not be back till late. I set the food out anyway and if he's not back in an hour I'll go and get him. Part of me wants to go out and check on him right now, but I have to trust him. If our marriage is ever going to go anywhere I have to learn to trust him again.

I wonder what George is saying to Fred right now. We don't talk about Fred very much anymore. It's like were both afraid to, but sometimes I need to talk about him. I go upstairs to put on Fred's jumper. After Fred and I officially started dating Fred gave me his jumper with the F on the front. That night I slept in that jumper because it smelled like him. I wore it around Fred with no bra on.

'It never looked that good on me." Fred would say every time I wore it for him. I haven't told George, that I still have that jumper, and sometimes , like now, I put it on. I know it's totally morbid , but it helps me remember him. It helps me to remember that my relationship with Fred was real and not something I made up in my head.

I take all of my clothes off and slide the old knobby jumper over my head. It still smells faintly of him. I lie on the bed close eyes. I only mean to nod off, but I'm so tired that I end up falling asleep.

I'm dreaming. In my dream I'm wearing my wedding dress and I'm in a huge hedge maze. The hedges are so tall that I can't see over them. Its dark in the maze and no matter which way I turn I can't see a way out. Then I see Fred and he calls out to me. I wave and call back. He smiles and I notice he's wearing George's Wedding suit. I run towards him when suddenly and without warning he is gored in the side by a minotaur.

"No!" I scream as the minotaur drags Fred's body away. Blood pours from the gaping wound in Fred's side.

"Angelina help me!" Fred cries frantically. "Please I need you."

"Fred! Fred!" I cry out I try and run after him to save him, but George blocks my path by grabbing my arms. His hands turn into metal clamps and I can't move. "Fred Fred!" I yell again but all I can see of him is a trail of blood.

"Angelina wake up!"

My eyes fly open and George is gently shaking me an angry look on his face.

"What are you doing with this on? He barks. You knew I couldn't bare to see anyone else in his clothes but you kept his jumper?" He's gripping the front of the jumper as if he'd like to yank me out of it.

"Fred gave me his F jumper, right after we started dating I didn't take it from his room. It was my jumper to keep or not keep. Other people are grieving Fred too, you don't have the monopoly." I say this calmly but inside a slow burn is starting. I don't like how George is accusing me, I don't like how tightly he's gripping Fred's jumper, I especially don't like the menacing look on his face. I look into his eyes and surreptitiously smell him. No he's not drunk or high just angry.

"You were calling his name, I heard you." He says as if accusing me of something.

I smack his hands away. "I was having a nightmare I saw Fred dying."

George lets go of the front of my jumper and says in a relenting voice. "I know I shouldn't be upset, it's just a jumper, but it was a bit of a shock seeing you in it." George let's out a shaky breath and runs his fingers through his hair. "I think I'm loosing it, yeah"

"George?" I stand up he's gone very pale. "Sit down."

"I feel like I can't catch my breath." He takes a couple of deep breath. "Angie I think there's something wrong with me."

I have never heard George's voice like this before. He runs to the bathroom and is sick. Sweat coats his forehead. He lies on the tile. "I don't know what's happening to me, I think I'm going mad." He closes his eyes. "I'm so cold." I feel his forehead he's burning up. I don't think twice I grab him and we apparate to St. Mungo's.


	5. Chapter 5 Demons and Skeletons

A/N: Whew! This chapter took FOREVER to finish I knew where I wanted to go with this chapter but for some reason I had a hard time making it go there, but after much hair pulling, cursing, and revising I got the chapter to come out the way I wanted. The reviews on the last chapter were both awesome and funny! I just can't thank you guys enough for all of your support. Now I give you chapter five, it's a bit long but after all that struggling I got on a roll and couldn't stop. Hope you like this chapter. Pretty Please keep the reviews coming. Hugs and Kisses.

**ZombieInk- **You just crack me up (chuckles)

**Psyche101- **Glad you liked it no torturer interned

**skateboard c**-Yeah I meant to get a beta when I started writing this story because editing takes up a lot of time and I always miss something, but I'm a dork and got all excited and started writing and forgot about it. I'm a noob and I'm not sure how getting a beta works, but if anyone wants to volunteer for the job please let me know.

** Hope-W- **George is safe enough for now.

**writing obsession23**- you used the word epic in your review I is giddy

**Chapter Five**  
><strong>Demons and Skeletons<strong>  
><em>And I know, I know they've all been talking 'bout me<em>  
><em>I can hear them whisper<em>  
><em>And it makes me think there must be something wrong with me<em>  
><em>Out of all the hours thinking<em>  
><em>Somehow I've lost my mind<em>  
><strong>Unwell-Matchbox Twenty<strong>

In Ginny's first year at Hogwarts when she was being possessed by Voldemort via Tom Riddle's dairy she told me that she had a feeling of impending doom, and she thought she was going mad. "One day I just completely lost it in the girl's bathroom, I thought the walls were closing in on me. I started crying and couldn't stop, and not the pretty storybook heroine kind of crying either-it was the ugly red faced snot runs out your nose kind. It felt like the world was ending. It was the worst feeling in the world."

I now know the exact feeling that Ginny was talking about. A panic attack. That's what the healers at St. Mungo's said I had. One minute I was talking to Angelina and then BOOM! Reality hit me with the force of a tidal wave. I thought I'll never see Fred again, and what the hell am I doing married? What's next fatherhood? How can I be a proper father when I can barely be a proper husband? I thought the shop is doing great, but the higher the climb the harder the fall. It was like I was trying to think all of those thoughts at once and function at the same time, and it was just an overload.

The last thing I remember is getting tunnel vision. Like large black curtains were closing in on me from either side till everything was all blackness. Angelina says I was talking madly and she couldn't get me to lie still. I felt like I was dying. Like some one pushed me off a cliff and I was free falling towards my own death.

Maybe my panic attack was brought on by my anger, the truth is I'm angry at myself. I can't admit it to Angelina, but what Taffy wrote about me bothers me a lot more than I've let on, and that bothers me. There was a time I wouldn't have given a second thought to what a jumped up git like Taffy had to say about me, but I'm not the same person I used to be, and what if the new me is exactly like the picture that great arse Taffy painted of me? I sometimes feel not good enough for my wife, and I think others think it too, but to see it in print just feels like a confirmation of my worst fears.

Angelina used to be the shattered one. The melancholy girl from the broken home. I'll never forget the how sad she looked when I first saw her on the train to Hogwarts in a compartment all by herself crying her eyes out. I had never seen anyone my age so sad before, I had never even known anyone our age could be so sad. My view of sadness and the world was largely skewed by my happy childhood. What did I know of sadness? I had two parents who loved me, and plenty of family. We were poor, but we had love in spades.

I wanted to be Angelina's hero then, I guess I always have and always will. I used to be the one that was there for her. I used to be the one who would tell her things would be all right. She used to see me as normal, strong and reliable, but now when she looks at me all she must see is a broken shell of a man. I wonder is it really fair?

Now Angelina is the strong one all of the time. She's always picking up the broken pieces of me. How can she love me when I'm not whole? How can she love me when some days I look in the mirror and I can't find a single reason to love myself. I close my eyes even though I'm not sleepy, I just need to try and clear my head.

My eyes have only been closed for a few seconds when I hear a commotion in the hall. A loud old voice is shouting down the hallway. My Great Auntie Muriel's voice. The sodding cow is telling anyone on the hospital floor who will listen about how her nephew has gone barking.

"I'd knew end up this way, he's gone funny ever since he lost that ear" She screams. "I suppose he doesn't work anymore now that he's a broken set." Auntie Muriel doesn't believe in mental break downs, she believes in stuffing your emotions in the black pit in your stomach until you can't feel them anymore. I sit up in my bed and look out into the hallway. The rest of my family are here as well circled around Muriel looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Muriel do shut up." Angelina says, and Great Auntie Muriel's eyes bug out and she takes in a great long deep shocked gasp.

"Well I never, how dare you !" She cries. "In my day we had respect for our elders."

"No how dare you! " Angelina fires back stepping closer to Muriel. "If you want respect earn then it."

Auntie Muriel has gone purple, and if she wasn't so worried about keeping up appearances she'd probably have cursed Angelina by now.

"No one talks about my husband that way, and don't think just because you're an old woman I won't-"

"Angelina!" Charlie says suddenly grabbing his sister-in-law. "Why don't we go get something cold to drink." He usher her down the hall and out of my site. Auntie Muriel huffs off saying something about bad tempers and Giantess blood. Ginny snickers and mum gives her a warning look. It's like they're rehearsing scenes from a Weasley family reunion only no one is crying.

"How are you feeling George?" Angelina asks moments later as she comes into my room. The rest of my family are still waiting outside, giving Angelina and I time to be alone. She sits on the edge of my bed and strokes my hair.

"How do you feel?"

"Mental."

"You're not mental, you just had a panic attack."

"Auntie Muriel has probably written us out of her will by now"

"Oh you heard that?" Angelina gives me a sheepish look.

"Yeah, I liked hearing it, I like hearing you stick up for me." I say.

"Well no one messes with my man but me."

"I loved the expression on her face when you told her to shut up."

"It was like she sucked a lemon drenched in stinksap." Angelina says.

I laugh. This is more like the way Angelina and I used to be. It's true what they say, best friends make the best lovers.

"I'm sorry about the jumper, but we've got to move past what Fred and I had." Angelina says abruptly. "We've already been through this remember no more doubt, no more guilt. I married you because I love you."

"I know." I say. "I love you too.'

Angelina kicks off her shoes and sits beside me, and lays her head on my chest. Neither of us say anything, it's not an uncomfortable silence, but it's not all together comfortable either.

"I was so scared, I sent Godric to your parents house without a letter. Luckily he kept on pecking your dad till he apparated to our house, I had left the front door wide open and when your dad went in he found the letter I'd meant to send with Godric."

"I'm sorry didn't mean to scare you."

"You're not meant to apologise."

"I just don't want you to think of me as useless." I say. "I want you to think of me as strong, as a man who's strong enough to be there for you. I want you to know that I'll take care of you"

"I do George, I do know that."

"How can you when I haven't been?"

"Marriage is about taking care of each other." Angelina says.

"Yeah, but you've been doing all the taking care of."

"That's not true."

"It is."

"It isn't, George where is all of this coming from?"

"Nowhere it's just- Merlin Angie was a drugie, and now I'm angry all the time, what do you see in me?"

"A hero, a good brother, a good son, and a wonderful husband." She kisses me slowly. "A successful business man, a good soul, and the love of my life, marriage isn't about marrying the perfect person, its about marrying the person whose perfect for you, and you're perfect for me George."

"I hope you'll always think so." I say softly.

Silence envelopes us again till my family comes into my room. Mum covers me in kisses. I don't push her away, I haven't really had the heart to since Fred died.

"Oh George you gave us such a scare." My mum says.

"I'm fine mum it was just a panic attack." I say.

"What exactly is a panic attack?" Bill asks.

"It's like when you think and feel like something bad is going to happen to you, it's a trick of the mind and body." Ginny says. "Doesn't matter that it's not happening your body turns on you and tells you it _is _happening."

I look at Ginny, I keep forgetting how grown-up she is. I keep thinking of her as a little girl. I was only three when she was born, but I can remember when mum brought her home from hospital. She was all pink and screamy. I thought she was funny looking and asked mum to take her back and get us a brother. Mum just laughed.

"What she said." I say and everyone laughs. When no one is looking Ginny winks at me. I can't believe one day she'll be married to Harry, he's a great guy, but I often want to punch him in the face for what he must be thinking about doing to my little sister.

"Well all that matters now is that you're all right." Dad says.

As if on cue Healer comes into the room and tells everyone that indeed I am all right, but should take things easy for awhile. The Healer is as about as tall as my mum and keeps her gray hair in a tight looking bun.

"Have you got someone who can run your shop for you for a few days?" She asks.

"Of course he has." Ron says indignantly.

"Good because I'm putting this young man on bed rest, beside your panic attack you're also suffering from dehydration and exhaustion."

"I can't rest, the shop needs me!" I protest.

"I don't care Healer's orders." She barks.

"Don't worry I'll take good care of him." Angelina says. She gives me a look that says I had better not protest anymore.

I've come to rely on my shop to keep me sane much more ever since Fred died. Work has become my new drug of choice. I love everything about my job including the things I hate about it. I love having something to throw myself into. I love having something to work hard for. I love owning the kind of shop that I'd like to have shopped at as a kid. Most days I don't mind the rambunctious kids or the people who test the product in the store, or the people who stay all day asking questions, because the one thing Zonko's was to Fred and I was an escape. It was like stepping into another world and for the time we were shopping in Zonko's Fred and I left all of our troubles behind. I can't get that feeling back, you can never get back that feeling of innocents and timelessness you had in childhood, but I can be a happy memory in someone else's childhood.

I've been working my arse off to show Angelina, and to show my family that I'm a changed man for real this time. No more lies, no more disappearing, no more drugs. Without my work I feel like nothing. I've always been the type to keep busy. Without anything to do I'll go mad.

"Good I say two weeks should do the trick." The Healer says.

"Two weeks!" I shake my head. "I can't just lie in bed for two weeks, I'm not an invalid."

"Keep protesting young man and you'll have to spend those two weeks right here in St. Mungo's."

That shuts me up, but I'm not happy about it. Angelina goes off with the gray haired Healer to sign my discharge papers and get after care instruction.

'George I know you're not happy about this, but promise me you won't give Angelina a hard time about staying in bed." My mum says.

"It's my job mum, all my life I've worked for this."

"Just two weeks. George" Bill says. "No one is asking you to give up your lively hood ."

I don't say anything there's no need to argue when you're out numbered

Angelina comes back in the room. "They're letting us go home now."

"Maybe you should stay at the Burrow until you get back on your feet." Mum suggest.

"No I'd rather be at home, I mean the Bluebell."

"You're always welcome to stop by anytime you want to Molly." Angelina says diplomatically.

I hug my family say my goodbyes and promise them I'll stay in bed.

As soon as we get home Angelina ushers me into bed.

"Now the Healer didn't say you had to stay in bed all the time, but you have to get at least eight hours of bed rest.

I open my mouth but Angelina covers it with her hand.

"George Gavin Weasley I don't want to hear it! Minerva has already given me the time off work, and the Healers have given a spell to preform on you when you're in bed to prevent blood clots. It's all been worked out, and there's nothing you can do but except it."

"I'm still going to Lee's party." I protest need to get my way some how. "He's my best mate."

"As long as you get your eight hours of bed rest in."

* * *

><p>Angelina and I are around Lee's flat, well now Lee and Parvati's flat, Lee's flat has changed to display both their Jamaican and Indian heritages. Lee and Parvati have left their mark all over this place. It already feels like their home. It's Friday the day of their Living-in-sin Shindig. We've come early to help them set up for the party. Padma's here too, she's dating some boy that went to Beauxbatons called Guillaume. Ever since the two of them walked in the door Guillaume has been staring at Padma in that soppy way you look at someone when the relationship is new. He keeps picking up her hand and kissing it. I look at Lee roll my eyes.<p>

Katie looks and Alicia and they both stifle giggles. Angelina misses this exchange because she's too busy looking anxiously at me as if I'll pass out any second now. We haven't told anyone about my being hospitalised for a panic attack, but it's only a matter of time before they found out.

Lavender Brown and Justin Finch-Fletchley are here too. They are holding hand but have restrained themselves from snogging like their back at Hogwarts, unlike Padma and Guillaume. Who've just started snogging for England. Every time I turn around it seems like someone is getting together. It's hard keeping up.

Parvati is teaching Angelina how to make Chapati. I'm glad because now she has something to do other than fuss over me like a mother hen.

"Good you're getting it now Angelina." Parvati says as the bread balloons up.

"Your wedding was so beautiful." Padma says. She's finally come up for air "I really loved your dress Angelina, you looked like a princess. I can't wait until I get married." Guillaume doesn't seem put of at all by Padma's talk of marriage. He just continues to look sappily into her eyes.

Parvati manages to prise Padma away form her luver, and they start cooking side by side. They fed each other food to taste test, and when they talk they finish each others sentences. Their closeness reminds me of the way Fred and I used to be. I feel so envious of them. They have what Fred and I took for granted much too often. We just always assumed we'd die together. Never once did we prepare ourselves for an eventuality where one of us wouldn't be here. Not really.

I have to leave the room for a few minutes. I go out onto Lee's terrace, but I'm not alone. I can hear lips smacking and a girl giggling. Just what I need a seedy distraction. The couple is hidden a dark shadow and they're really going at it. The pair of them are pressed so close together they look like one person with two heads. The man's hand is disappearing out of view up the woman's skirt. Finally the two break apart and the mystery man steps into the light. His red hair is the same shade of red as my hair.

"You'd better go Charlie if someone sees you it's going to be really hard explaining why you're here." Alicia Spinnet says.

"I'll just tell them my dragon got loose." Charlie quips and strokes her long auburn hair.

Alicia and Charlie? My brother is seeing Alicia Spinnet? I thought she was seeing that thick Australian bloke. What's she doing two timing my brother? I don't want them to know I've saw them. I just want to get inside quickly. I can question Charlie about it later.

"There you are George I was looking all over for you." Angelina says stepping out onto the terrace. Since I don't answer right away Angelina turns to see what I'm staring at. "Alicia?" Angelina's jaw drops to comical proportions. It's amazing what can happen in a span of just a few days. "Charlie?"

"George?" Charlie says when he sees me. His face goes completely red.

"Alicia what are you doing- what about Skyler?" Angelina asks.

"We finished a long time ago, I just let everyone think I was seeing him so I wouldn't have to explain about Charlie."

"Explain what?" I ask.

"That we started seeing each other because neither of us wants to get married."

"You don't want to get married?" Angelina asks incredulously.

"I'm happy with what Charlie and I have, we're only in our twenties Angelina, twenty-two is too young to be married. People change, and who you are today might not be who you are at twenty-five. People just rush into marriage without any thought to who'll they'll be years later"

"Twenty-two is not young to be married in the Wizarding world."

"That's precisely what I'm on about, I didn't grow-up in the Wizarding world for most of my life. I went back to my Muggle family on Holidays and summers. I just find this obsession they have with marrying so young weird, I mean we live longer than Muggles so what's the rush?"

"What about you?" I say to Charlie.

"I like my job and my freedom." He shrugs. "I just don't want to be tied down."

Angelina and I stand there completely gobbed smacked. You grow up with a person and you think you know them, but sometimes you don't really know them at all. I wonder if Angelina could ever shock me like that? If I went through her closet would any of the skeletons she had in there leave me awestruck and gob smacked. I mean how well do you ever really know someone?

"Please don't tell anyone about us." Alicia begs. "We don't want anyone to know, just let everyone think I'm with Skyler."

"Eventually someone going to find out, eventually you're going to have to tell mum Charlie."

"I know, I know, but right please just don't tell anyone." Charlie kisses Alicia one last time the disapparates. Inside the guest have shown up and the party is going on full fledged, it's much to noisy for anyone to have heard Charlie disapparate.

"Please Angelina_ please_ don't judge me." Alicia says she sounds on the verge of tears.

"Of course not sweetie." Angelina says hugging her friend.

"Well I should get back to the party." She says and she goes inside and disappears into the crowd.

What if Alica is right, what if five years or even two years from now Angelina and I are completely different people? What if we just grow apart?

"I don't feel so good." I say to Angelina. "Do you mind if we go home, I don't feel much like partying any more."

"Of course not." Angelina says. "Suddenly I don't feel like partying either."


	6. Chapter 6 How to Understand Love As A Ch

A/N: I've changed this story to a "M" rating because of this chapter, I Really didn't want to because it's only one chapter, but better safe than sorry Ye rascals be warned read on at yer own risk! I was in another slump wracking my brain like crazy trying to make this chapter come out. I don't know why but these last two chapters have been hard for me to articulate so I took a smallish break from writing, and then came back and attacked this chapter and I changed some things up. I am really happy with the results even thought it ended up in a totally different direction than the first draft. Hope you like it too. The title of this chapter comes from a wikihow article of the same name. As always thanks for reading. Pretty Please Review. Hugs and Kisses.

Sorry if your pen name doesn't show up all the way, blame it on fanfiction's word processor it seems to have a mind of it's own.

**Zombieink-** your timing is scarily impeccable . Your review got me all choked up . I don't know how you manage it, but your reviews always come at the right time.

**Psyche101- **No evil cliffy this time XD

**Hope-W**- I like writing for George too! You know Alicia just can't help but speak her mind

**. Pants.-**Thank you I'm glad you like it

**Chapter Six**

**How to Understand Love As A Chemical Reaction**

_And now I tell you openly, you have my heart so don't hurt me_

_You're what I couldn't find._

_A totally amazing mind, so understanding and so kind;_

_You're everything to me._

**Dreams- The Cranberries **

"Her name was Viorica." Charlie begins. "I met her the first year I moved to Romania. I'd been called to heal her village's dragon."

I'm cuddled up next to George on the sofa. Charlie sits in one of our oversized armchairs. Neither George nor I were expecting to see Charlie so soon. After finding out about Charlie and Alicia's tryst I told Lee and Parvati that George didn't feel good and we needed to go home. George had gone pale and shaky by then so Lee didn't suspect anything. We lie in bed talking about Charlie for hours, actually George ranted I just listened

This morning we were woken up by the repetitive sound of beak on glass. It was Charlie's owl Starling. George got up and let him in at once. The letter was of course from Charlie. He wanted to know if he could come over so we could talk about last night. George scribbled a hasty yes and sent Starling right back out.

Charlie showed up moments later looking nervous and scruffy. He had stubble and bed head. His shirt was done up wrong. His jeans were wrinkled. He kept swallowing as if he had something stuck in his throat.

I made him some tea and sat him down.

'I want to tell the two of you something, something I've never told anyone before, well expect for Alicia."

My heart started hammering away in my chest, and I started thinking of all the things Charlie might say. He was really gay, and Alicia was just his flame dame. Alicia was pregnant, or he was strangely attracted to Norberta, and didn't know what to do about it. Or maybe that he loved Alicia and wanted to marry her. I hoped it was the last one.

"Go on then." George said because Charlie had paused so long.

Charlie seemed to be having some kind of internal battle and it skipped across his face.

I poured him some more tea in his cup and he drank it straight away even though it must have been scolding hot. Then he started telling us about Viorica, the first girl he fell in love with.

"Her people were Gypsies and Wizarding Gypsies live way outside of our laws and our way of life. When I got to her village it was a huge culture shock. They didn't have things like Wireless. Any magic they knew was taught by their elders. They had never heard of Quidditch and didn't even know what Hogwarts looked like, but they had heard of Harry Potter and liked him very much. "

"Charlie how come you never told us any of this? I mean when you told us about Romania you made seem like you didn't have a life."

"Let him tell his story." I said to George. Sometimes he and Ron could so alike. Couldn't he see that this is something that was obviously very hard for Charlie to talk about? "Go ahead Charlie we're listening."

"The villagers didn't like me at first or even trust me very much since I was an outsider, but their dragon was dying and I was the only one who could make her better."

Neither George or I said anything. I don't know if was more from shock, or that we we're so intrigued with his story.

"The dragon was called Lala."

George snorts with laughter. "A dragon named Lala, who named her Hagrid?"

Charlie give a little chuckle and pressed on. "Lala was in pretty bad shape, and she was pregnant. I think that's what finally won me over to them. I healed Lala and delivered her hatchling. Gypsies have a very spiritual and close relationship with dragons- it's against their laws to harm or kill a dragon."

"And what, the dragons don't kill _them_?" George asked.

"No, dragons and gypsy have co-existed happily for centuries, no one knows how they do it. They've got magic we can't even dream of, it's part of the reason they're so weary of outsiders. They don't want others using their own magics"

"It must have been wonderful for you Charlie." I said. "Bringing a new dragon into the world."

"It was, and to have it happen when I was so young. The village had a feast that night. For the first time I was allowed to eat with everyone, not just any table either the head table."

"I can't believe you never told." George says shaking his head.

"I stayed in the village to help Lala raise her hatchling, it was a boy and they called him Emilian. Viorica knew a lot about dragons, and so she helped me out. She was the village's healer. She was smart and funny, and really seem to have a way with Emilian."

I move closer to George and lay my head on my shoulder. I forget sometimes how lucky I am to have him. Before I met George I thought love was conditional, and if those conditions weren't meet then you could be written off without a second thought, before George I didn't know a thing called unconditional love existed. Not everyone has love, and I should know better than to take mines for granted.

"She was beautiful too, She tall and she had this wonderful long curly black hair, and these piercing gray eyes. She was one of the few villagers that spoke English so we ended up spending a lot of time together. Then one day, I don't know we were talking and walking out in the fields with Emilian and the sun was setting, and we got caught up and started kissing."

I sighed. The story seemed so romantic that I didn't want to hear the ending because I knew it's going to be sad. I didn't want to hear about someone having a love so beautiful and not being able to make it work.

"We started dating in secret because she was forbidden to see an outsider. The villagers respected me, cared for me, and treated me with kindness ,but I was still an outsider. No matter how much they liked me they would have never let me be with Viorica."

When I was a little girl living with my aunt and uncle I used to get down on my knees and pray that God would send me someone who loved me. I'm older now and I'm not sure how I feel about God ,theology or things like karma, but I can't say my prayers weren't answered. The only thing I do know for sure is that when you find your love you hold on to it.

"We were like an odd little family Viorica ,Emilian, and me. It was one of the happiest times in my life and hers as well. Viorica said we should run away and be together forever, we'd meet on the south hill. We planned it all out. I'd leave the day before and camp out on the south hill and wait for her, Emilian was big enough now and didn't need me looking after him any more. I hated to leave him behind, but both Viorica and I knew that it wouldn't be right to take him. "

"I'm sorry Charlie." I said.

"It's all right, I mean things were really hard for awhile, but I got through it."

"How?" George asked.

Charlie shrugged indifferently. "I worked a lot, drank a lot, fought a lot."

"You fought?"

"Yeah in those tiny little villages bare knuckle boxing is the sport of choice, even the women do it." When Charlie talks he never seems like he's bragging about the things he's done, just telling you about it, and it makes him seem cooler for it.

"So what happened with Viorica?" I asked. I knew it was masochistic but I had to know what happened. I had to know why he and Viorica wern't together they when they sounded like such a lovely couple.

"I waited on the south hill for her in my tent. I had tidy it up and magiked the life out of it so that it would be beautiful when she came. It got later and later, it got so late that I thought she wasn't going to show, but she did. I had never been so happy to see any one." Charlie blushes. "We er… spent the night together and didn't wake until later that day, well I woke up later, I woke up to find that Viorica had gone."

"No." I say.

"I went mental at first, I thought something might have happened to her. I looked around for her every where and I kept calling her name. Finally I figured she must have gone back to her village. So I went back there, I thought maybe the village elders were trying to prevent her from leaving."

"Merlin Charlie what were you going to do take on the whole damn village?" George asked.

"If I had to yeah, I mean wouldn't you have done?"

"Yeah I would." George said answering Charlie, but looking at me.

I got a lump in my throat at that point. You can love somebody so much that it scares you.

"No one was keeping Viorica, they were getting the village ready for her wedding."

'She was getting married!" I shout, I can't help it.

"Yeah, the very next day."

"Then why in the hell did she say she wanted to run away with you?" I asked.

"I don't know maybe she did, but when she thought about leaving it got too hard."

"Why didn't she tell you she was getting married in the first place?" George asked.

"I don't know, I never talked to her again. I did watch her get married though. I had to, I had to see if she'd really go through with it, part of me was hoping she might not."

"So is that why you don't want to get married? George asked.

"I know you're going to find this hard to believe George, but I was never keen on the ideal of marriage. That's why I like Alicia so much. She's such a free spirit."

George and I exchange looks. Alicia is many things, but the last thing I'd call her is a free spirit, but in the eyes of a lover everyone is different.

"I just wanted to tell you that story because I'm truly over Viorica now, and Alicia is a huge part of that reason, so please don't be hard on her."

"You love her don't you." George asked.

"Yeah I do."

"You don't want to marry her though."

"No I don't, but we're happy and that's all that matters to us, and it should be all that matters to you."

"I'm happy for both of you." I said to Charlie and gave him a hug.

'Me too." George said after awhile. "I mean it."

"I know you do George, when have you ever been the type to not say what you mean."

I laughed.

"Do you want to stay for breakfast?"

"No." Charlie said blushing. "Alicia is expecting me."

"How am I meant to get through Sunday dinner ?" George asks. "What if I'm sat next to Charlie?"

It's only a little bit after Charlie left and George and I are sitting opposite each other at the breakfast table having our usual fry-up.

"It is quite a bomb he's dropped on us." I say

"Poor Charlie but I know what he feels like."

"What?"

"I used to be so jealous of Fred in school. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at him. Remember when dad got bitten by Nagini and almost died, You had come to hospital to see Fred. You held him and you kept telling him that everything was going to be ok. The way you were looking at him, I almost felt obscene for watching. That night I lie in bed wondering what it would be like to have you hold me like that or look at me like that."

Both George and I get up from the table I meet him on the side of the table and give him a kiss. " I don't why I didn't know." I say.

"It Doesn't matter." George says.

"It doesn't?"

"No because you've got time off, and I've got time off, and your lips are near my lips." He pulls me into him and when I feel his lips on mines I shiver and close my eyes. There is something special about being kissed. All of it's nonverbal, it's just a feeling you get, a magnetism that draws two bodies together. I love the feeling of the other person's breath on your lips right before the kiss, the way eyes always close, and then that moment your lips touch- hot moist flesh to hot moist flesh. You can feel it right down to your core, it burns like fire.

That's what my love for George feels like, out of control and all consuming like a fire. I'm afraid of that feeling, but whenever I look at George I forget all of that. When he kisses me I forget everything even my own name.

They say love is just a chemical reaction, but I know it's more than just chemicals, because all the chemicals in the world can't make a person fall in love, ten billion and one brewed love potions have told us that. It's mental too, it's that place beyond words beyond physical acts. Sometimes I think love is will beyond reason.

George clears the breakfast table with one sweep of the arm and lifts me up by the hips and sits me atop of it. He deftly unbuttons my shirt and slides it down my shoulders as the dishes crash to the floor. I capture his mouth and wrap my legs around his waist

He unhooks my bra and twirls it over his head like a lasso making me laugh.

I grab his hands and place them on my breast. I grin at him a roll my hips.

"Merlin Angie I'm meant to be on bed rest." He pants.

"Oh you're going to need your bed rest after I'm done." I say. I kiss him again sliding my tongue into his mouth, I grip a hand full of his hair. He runs his calloused thumbs over my nipples, and I squirm and moan as they harden under the sensation. It's amazing that something that can drive you mad can turn you on.

Our eyes lock and my arms encircle his neck, his hands slides down my skirt and knickers. I unhook my legs from around his waist so that I can slide skirt to the floor. I take off George's jeans and pants and he kicks them hastily to the side. I spread my legs slowly and rest back on my palms. George stands in front of me teasing me by not entering. He's rock hard, pulsing at my entrance, and it feels and so achingly good that I moan. I don't know what's come over us, but I like it.

"Do it." I say.

He kisses the hallow of my neck and then push himself completely inside of me. I let out a high pitch squeak at the force of his entrance, and my nails dig into his flesh. I close my eyes enjoying the feel of his hardness inside of me. My head lolls back as I am completely lost ecstasy my will and my control are nowhere to be seen.

"Look at me." George says. "I want to see you."

Just like his kiss his words make me shiver, I toss my hair back and look into his eyes. They are a much darker blue right now and lidded with lust.

George begins to move and I move too working my lips like only a dancer can. he warps his arms around my lower back and pulling me in closer. Our pace quickens the table rocks and creaks We're both panting like after Quidditch practice. George grunts as I tighten around his hardness.

"George." I cry out as the mindlessness of my orgasm sweep over me leaving me totally helpless.

"Damn." George says reaching his own orgasm.

I lie back on the table, my legs feel like jelly my toes curl.

"I don't know what that was, but that was intense." George says. He sits on the table and lies back next to me. "I'm going to fill a bit naughty every time someone eats at this table."

I giggle. "Well at least I got my breakfast sausage."

"Best you've ever had, and don't you forget it."

"Godric, I'm going to have to scourgify this table with in a inch of it's life."

"Do you think Alicia and Charlie will be all right?"

"I think so." I say getting up from the table. "I hope so." I clean up the table and replace the dishes.

George and I shower and then lie in bed together until we fall asleep in each other arms.

* * *

><p>Sunday we use the floo to travel to the Burrow. Ron and Hermione are there along with Harry and Ginny. I notice that Ron and Harry are looking slightly more care warn and are sporting fresh war wounds. The lives of Auroras aren't easy ones. We spend a few minuets saying hello and hugging and kissing everyone.<p>

"You haven't been giving Angelina any trouble have you?" Molly asks.

"I can't, she takes my wand and shackles me to the bed for those eight hours."

"I do not!"

George laughs and Molly shakes her head.

"Actually, it might not be a bad ideal Angelina." Harry says.

George grabs his heart as if mortally wounded. "Harry I thought you were a mate, mate."

Sundays with the Weasley are never dull that's for sure. Percy and Audrey are the next to arrive. Audrey is very nice but also very shy. We've never really talk.

Bill and Fleur show up next with little Victoire who's getting bigger and pretty everyday. Molly scoops her granddaughter up in her arms and kisses her round little cheeks. Fleur is pregnant again and looks even more beautiful. Sometimes I envy that woman, I have never seen her looking bad.

"Are you excited about going back to school Angelina?" Bill asks me once everyone is seated around the kitchen table.

"Nervous is more like it, it's weird seeing Hogwarts from the other side." I say

"Well I'm sure you'll do good." Percy says. "Just remember you've got to have a steady hand with those students or else they'll run roughshod all over you- I should know I was a _prefect _and _head boy_."

"Yes, and we all know what a big headed head boy you were." Ron says. Everyone laughs at this even Audrey.

"Oh did I tell you all, Stan Shunpike is the new keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts."

"What? That spotty git." George says.

"Actually he's not spotty any more, and you should be happy for him." I say.

"Well I know I am." Harry says. "After being cursed by Death Eaters he's due for something good."

"Who's going to run the knight bus now?" Ron asks.

"I don't know, but thanks to Hermione's coaching Hagrid's curriculum for Care of magical creatures has changed for the better, and he just won't have time for any caretaking duties."

"Really it was nothing." Hermione says.

"No I was there, the class is going to be very good, I almost wish I could take the it." Charlie says.

Hermione turns bright pink. "Thank you."

"Minerva built Stan a new hut she didn't have the heart to kick Hagrid out of his."

"It feels weird to hear you call Professor McGonagall Minerva." Bill says.

"Believe me it took sometime getting used to saying it."

George's about to respond when Charlie comes through the fireplace.

The three of us look at each other all knowing that were all in on something everyone else isn't. It seems like too much in a room full of people and our eyes quickly dart away.

"I see you didn't bring a date." Molly says. "There's a nice witch that works with your father who thinks you're very handsome." Molly does this almost every Sunday. Tries to fix Charlie up with a girl. It really bothers her that he hasn't settled down yet. Wait till she finds out about Viorica and Alicia.

"Mum I don't need you fixing me up." Charlie says. "I'm too busy at work with work to date."

"She's a very lovely girl how do you know you won't like her until you talk to her?"

"Mum give it a rest." George says. "Charlie's a big boy now he can sort out his own love life."

Charlie gives George an appreciative look, but Molly gives George a cross one.

"I only say these things because I care about you Charlie."

I wonder what it feels like to have a mother that loves you so much that sometimes it drives you mad. My mum's birthday is coming up in August so now I can't stop thinking about her. I wonder if she ever loses sleep thinking about me? I want to hate her but I can't. I want to forget about her but I can't. She used to love me so much how could she just stop?

"I know mum." Charlie says, but please I don't want to be fixed up."

"All right, far be it from me to care about your well being." Molly says.

"Ah guilt trip thy name is mother." Charlie mutters.

"What was that Charles Fabin?" Molly asks archly.

"Nothing mum." Charlie says and bends over his plate and starts shoveling food in his mouth.

After afters we all play a game of monopoly. Hermione brought the game over and we bewitched it so the board has Wizarding properties like Gringotts and The Ministry of Magic and Wizarding money, also each little piece moves around the board of it's own accord like in wizards chess and house and hotels build themselves. Everyone loves playing this game. The noise in the Burrow almost doubles every time we play it and we can play all night sometimes.

I remember the first time I came to the burrow. How wide eyed and innocent I'd been then. Everything about the Burrow impressed me, and it soon became my favourite place to go. George takes my hand under the table and I smile. The Burrow is no longer a place I go to, but a place I belong.


	7. Chapter 7 The Rebirth of the Alpha Male

A/N: Hey ya'll sorry I've been a big ol' bag of lazy. After slaving over a hot stove all day at work all I want do when I come home is laze about in the air conditioning, but I digress. Tides are turning for George and Angelina, in _**Stages**_ George was the hot mess, but now he's got his groove back, and it's Angelina's turn for her own hot messiness via her dysfunctional family. Many thanks for the reviews y'all make me laugh ;p. As always thanks for reading. Pretty Please Review. Hugs and Kisses.

xXGred-ForgeXx- Just LOL

Psyche101- Glad you like the evil cliffies because there are more to come… muahaha

ZombieInk- Glad you liked Charlie's back story, I always felt he never got enough of a story in the books and he seems so cool.

**Chapter Seven**

**The Rebirth of the Alpha Male**

_Oh you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for_

_I can't help it there's nothin' I want more,_

_Yeah, I would fight for you _

_I'd lie for you_

_Walk the wire for you _

_Yeah, I'd die for you._

**(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams**

Everyone around me is laughing but Angelina. She's sitting on my lap and every time she tries to take a drink from her cup I jiggle my knees so that she has to lift her cup to keep her pumpkin juice from spilling all over her.

"George if you don't stop it I'm going to hex your brains out."

"Angelina _please_ not in public." I say.

It's Harry's birthday. Earlier we had a little party for Harry at the Burrow like we always do, but Ginny and Hannah planned a second party for him at the Leaky Cauldron with everyone from school. With all of us here without a worry it almost feels like were back in school. I reckon we're the closest any students have ever been at Hogwarts and probably ever will be.

This is the most normal I have felt in a long time. I looked in the mirror when I was shaving this morning and was surprised by how much I looked like my old self, minus the ear of course. The dark circles have gone and I've gained back the weight I've lost. When I went into the kitchen there was Angelina cooking breakfast like always. It was so normal. Things haven't been normal for a long time.

I feel like me too. I feel a lot stronger than I have in a very long time, maybe it's the bed rest or the awesome sex. I think part of it was Charlie's story, I no longer feel like the only black sheep of the family or the only one who's kept secrets. I realise that ever since I turned to drugs that I've been putting the rest of my family on a pedestal. As if I was the only one who made mistakes or kept secrets. Now I can forgive myself all of us have skeletons in our closet.

Alicia and Charlie are both here trying a little too hard not to be seen with each other. Angelina bites her lip every time she sees Katie and I know she feels bad for keeping a secret from her.

"Oh hey mate you might want to open that up outside." I say to Harry when he starts to open my present.

"What is it?" Ginny asks suspiciously

"A portable pool, like a portable swamp, but a pool."

"Nice." Ron says.

"Definitely don't open that up in here." Ginny says.

"I wish you'd been there to tell George that when he opened it in our bedroom." Angelina says.

"Oh yeah she almost divorced me for that one." I tell everyone.

"I'm still thinking about it." Angelina says.

"Angie honey, you couldn't walk away from me you were under the Imperius curse."

Angelina and Ginny fall on each other snorting with laughter.

"Come on you prat dance with me." Angelina says pulling me on to the "dance floor." The song on the wireless ends and a new song starts up, it's a slow song and I pull Angelina close to me. She puts her head on my shoulders and she smells like peonies a sent that I can't smell now without thinking of her.

"Fred used to love this song." She says. "Do you remember?"

"Yeah he used to listen to it like ten times in a row."

"It was the first song we danced to at the Yule Ball."

"No wonder he listened to it so bloody much."

"You maybe a huge arrogant prat sometime George, but you're right I couldn't walk away from you, not because you look like Fred or even because you're his twin- it's just that the day we met I knew the two of you would be in my life for the rest of my life."

"Oh the fun we had.' I say.

'The trouble we caused." She sighs sadly. "I never thought we'd be talking about Fred in the past tense."

"Neither did I."

"He was life you know, wherever he was the soul of the conversation was."

I realise that Angelina is right. She couldn't be with anyone else. She knows me too well, and she knew Fred too well. She's always gotten us as twins and as individuals, perhaps that's why we both loved her. Lee's like that as well. Some people get it, all the foibles and complexities of being a twin. It's like speaking another language.

The song ends and we make our way back over to Harry.

"Thanks for the leather broom racing jacket Angelina." Harry says.

"You're welcome, happy birthday." She says kissing him on the cheek.

"The jacket makes him look really scrummy." Ginny says.

Ron pretends to vomit behind Ginny's back.

Ginny spins around. "Jealous?"

"Oh No." Ron says. "I think it makes him look really scummy too."

"Hello George, Angelina." Hagrid says lifting a bucket size glass of Fire Whiskey to us. "Can you believe our little Harry is eighteen years old?" Hagrid hiccups and then starts to sniffle. He pulls out a huge handkerchief and blows his nose loudly.

"There goes the fog horn." Parvati says and Padma laughs.

Just like old times indeed.

Harry's party goes on well into the night. We stay to help Neville and Hannah clean up, but instead of going straight home Angelina and I go to Fred's grave. It's not something either of us planned or even talked about but we both just ended up here. It's been awhile since we've both been here together.

Angelina conjures daisies and lies them on his grave. I put my arm around my wife and pull her close to me. Her mouth crumples and goes wavy and I know she's about to cry, or at least sniffle.

"Hi Fred it's me and George." She says. "It's Harry's birthday today, he's eighteen can you believe it?"

"Only two years younger than you were." I say.

"We wish you were here." Angelina says taking my hand in hers. "We get by, but we miss you every single day and then some."

"Sorry about marrying your bird." I say. Angelina jabs me in the ribs at this, but she's smiling.

We both sigh deeply. I take her arm and we apparate home. Everything in the house feels too quite.

"I keep thinking it will get easier." Angelina says.

"I know, Merlin do I know." Right now I'd love to be through my nth bottle of

Firewhiskey. Some times getting over someone's death is just as hard as them dying. It's like a scab that you can't pick.

"You're so brave he'd be proud, so proud."

"He'd be proud of you, for taking care of me."

We are both silent for a few moments lost in thoughts of Fred. Never is such a long time when you lose someone.

When I wake up the next morning Angelina is already out of bed probably making breakfast. When I join her in the kitchen she's not making breakfast though, she's just sitting on the floor holding a magazine.

"Angelina what are you doing down there?"

She doesn't answer me she just sits on the floor staring off into space.

"Angelina?" My voice is etched with concern but still she doesn't get up.

"Angie are you all right?"

"No." She hands me the magazine

I start to read the interview the magazine is opened to, the title reads: _Angelina's Mental Mummy Hates Magic!_

"_I don't know why I named her Angelina." _Begins Mrs. Johnson a modest Muggle woman who has chosen to devote her life God and helping other less fortunate than she. _"I should have named her Devilina, oh she was a very wicked girl, and she tried to kill me." _At this point Mrs. Johnson is shaken and overcome with emotion, and has to take several minutes to compose herself.

"_I will never as long as I live forget that day, I still have the scars." _Indeed she did have burn scars on her legs._ "It was an unnatural fire brought about by Satan no doubt, if hadn't been for my husband I'd be dead." _Tears spill from Mrs. Johnson haunted eyes. _"She yelled at me that she hated me, and I knew that she meant it, no there's nothing angelic about Angelina. A good child would never try to kill their own mother."_

Mrs. Johnson pours me a cup of tea with trembling hands she is a most gracious host.

"_Magic is evil and anyone who willingly practices it is evil. I don't know what she's doing in life now, and I honestly don't care, she's made her choice, and I've made mines. I won't align myself with evil, and Angelina is as evil as they come." _

There's a picture of Angelina's mum sitting stiffly and crossed legged her hands folded in her lap. I've never seen Angelina's mum before, she's very beautiful I'll give her that. I can see where Angelina gets her looks from, but what a nutter.

"Who the hell wrote this?"

"Taffy." She says.

"I'm going go down there and kick his teeth in." I grab Angelina's hands and pull her to her feet.

"Doesn't matter." She says. "I'm fucked up by parents, and you're fucked up from the war, and together were just fucked."

"Don't say that you know it isn't true."

"Oh yeah, how many girls do you know that almost killed their own mother?"

"It was an accident, you didn't even know you were a Witch, you can't control what you do when you're a kid"

"I wanted to hurt her though, I _really_ wanted to hurt her."

"You didn't want her dead Angie, she's mental."

"If she's mental and she's my mum what does that make me?"

"Well if it makes you mental then it makes me mental too, because I married you, and we can just be mental together."

"What?"

"Exactly. I say, now I'm going to go rearrange Taffy's face sit tight till I get back."

"No."

"Well he can't get away with it."

"He's already gotten away with it. My dad too, he lied to my mum, told her he gave up his 'evil magic powers' so he could lead a Godly life."

"Your father said that?"

"It's all there in that interview, he threw me under the bus just so he could be with her"

"Well maybe Taffy's lying."

"The magazine was sent special delivery from an owl I'd never seen before. I reckon now that it was Taffy's owl. Stupid me, I was so worried he'd go after you that I left myself completely open for him to go after me."

"What?"

"This is all my fault. I went after Taffy after he went after you, I went down to his office and confronted him I told him he was jealous of you, and said that he'd never be the man that you are."

"This isn't your fault Taffy is an arse and he's NOT getting away with this." It hurts me that Angelina is hurting, but it also makes me feel good that she stood up for me and that she believes in me. It gives me strength to be strong for her. She's been carrying me for too long, but I'm back now.

"I don't what he did or said to get that interview, but the irony is magic was probably involved."

"The man is clearly psycho."

"She thinks I'm crazy, maybe she's right, a lot of people think I'm a crazy whore for marrying you, they think I'm using your as a substitute for Fred, what in the hell do I know about love anyway?"

"A lot, I don't give a fuck what anyone else says we love each other Fred and were twins, but also individuals you've always known that Angie."

"I don't know what I know anymore." She says.

I know hate is a strong word and emotion, but I hate Angelina's parents for what they're putting her through. I really hate her mother, a mother is meant to love unconditionally. I don't know if Taffy used magic to trick her mum into giving that interview or not, more than likely he just used the name of a false magazine and she was all too willing to spill. The woman thinks she's some kind of bloody martyr, but she's just a bitch. She hasn't been there for Angelina for years and she has the nerves to try and judge her.

"I think that I'm going to go lie down." Angelina says in a defeated voice.

"I'll make breakfast." I say.

"I'm not hungry." She says and disappears into the bed room.

I don't know what to do, I feel helpless and this must be the way she felt watching me trying to destroy myself with drugs.

I follow her into the bedroom the shades are drawn and the room is completely dark.

"Angie you have to eat something."

"Please George just leave me alone." Her voice cracks.

"Don't let her do this to you."

"She's my mum how can I not?" She sits up. "She gave birth to me but she can't even stand me, she doesn't even care if I'm alive or dead, neither of them do!"

"Then that just proves there's something wrong with them." I say feeling frustrated that I can't make her listen to reason.

"No, there must be something wrong with me." She starts to sob and I hate that sound, but this time it's not me who's causing her tears.

"I miss them so much, I know it's stupid to, but I do everyday I do."

"It's not stupid Angie it's human."

"I know you're trying to make me feel better, but please I just want to be alone right now."

"I'll give you some time." I say though I have no intentions on leaving the house, just the room. No way am I leaving my wife alone in this state. The only thing that's stopping me from finding Taffy Younghusband and beating him with in an inch of his life is Angelina. I go into the kitchen and make breakfast and take back to the bedroom.

Angie hasn't moved she's just lying in the dark staring up at the ceiling. I get her to eat a little bit of food. Inside I feel so wound up, I've always been a doer and when I can't do something it makes me feel useless. I sit at the kitchen table trying to come up with a plan of action, a rational plan of action and not one fueled by my anger.

"George?"

"Yeah?"

Angelina steps timidly into the kitchen. "If I was going to do something totally mad would you help me?"

"Possibly it depends on how mad it is."

"I want you to go with me, I want to see my parents house."

"Angie why?" I ask exasperated

"Sometimes I don't feel real, _need _to see it again to know that I exist. "

"I don't know if this is such a good ideal."

"_Please_ George I'm begging you."

Damn it how can I say no to that?

"OK if it means that much to you I'll do it."

"It does, thank you, you'll never know how much this means to me." She says in a whisper. She hugs me tightly.

This is a bad ideal and I know it, but I love her more than I fear the repercussions.


	8. Chapter 8 Monsters and Ghosts

**A/N: **I'm baaaack. Not much to say expect thanks for the comments I just love them. It's been crazy at work so I can't update as much as I'd like to :( . Thanks for reviewing.. Pretty please Read and Review. Hugs and Kisses. 

**xXGred-ForgeXx**- AWWH Thanks

**Psyche101**- Glad you like the story and sorry you had such a bad week, I grew up with a bunch of types like Angelina's mom too. I hope this week will be much better for you. XD

**Hope-W**- Yes it's George's time to worry about his wife, Angelina been the stable one so far, but she's no Mary Sue.

**ZombieInk- **Get ready for more of Angelina's parents and more drama. I initially had Harry at 19 but which I think he should be, since it's one year after the battle of Hogwarts, but I put him at 18 because I thought the battle was in '97 but I read it's 98 so he probably should be 19. In the words of J.K. Rowling math was never my strong suite.

**vanessaaweasley**- Glad you love and thanks for reviewing. 

**Chapter Eight**  
><strong>Monsters and Ghost<strong>  
><em>Take a trip, down memory lane<em>  
><em>You will never wanna go again<em>  
><em>Take your leave<em>  
><em>Take your leave<em>  
><em>I don't wanna sing at all<em>  
><strong>Paperclips- Travis<strong>

My mother loved me very much once upon a time. We used to dress alike and bake cookies in the kitchen while we sang together. She used to read me bedtime stories and tuck me in. She would sew my ballet costumes and do my hair for recitals. Now she wants to just forget me. Maybe I should show her what a Witch really is. Oh I could make so she never forgets me again.

"Homenum Revelio" I cry from under Harry's invisibility cloak. Earlier today while I was at the Hogsmeade shop with George Harry gave me his invisibility cloak.

"George said you needed to use this."

I was speechless. I know George hates this ideal but he's still going through with because of me.

"George didn't tell me what you need it for, only that you needed it."

"Thank you Harry, I'll take good care of it." I said. "I promise."

"I know you will."

There is no one home at my parents house. I point my wand again and say "Alohomora."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" George asks me.

I don't answer only turn the knob and step inside. Once were inside I shove Harry's invisibility cloak in my rucksack. It smells the same, like bleach and vanilla. My house has not changed since I left it. All the horridly gross 1970's furniture is still here. All the pictures of creepy Anglo Jesus are on the wall. I still know the layout of this house. Every corner, every nook, every mark on the wall. I even know what caused them. I feel like I did the time I helped George clean out Fred's room and everything there was the same. It's like seeing a ghost. I'd forgotten how much of myself I left behind here. I feel exposed now. George has never been in my parents house before.

"It's so sterile looking." George says

"Well Godliness is next to cleanliness." I say in a sing song voice.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just something my mum used to say all the time."

George pulls out Harry's invisibility cloak back out, and wraps it around both of us. The round oak table is still in the kitchen. Our gray Aga. I remember helping my mum bake in fairy cakes and pies for Church. The little stool I used to stand on to reach the counter is still here as well. The cupboard under the stairs is still neatly arranged with cleaning supplies in alphabetical order. We go upstairs to my parents room.

Their room used to be my nirvana. When I had nightmares I slept between my parents in their huge sleigh bed. I used to sit at my mum's vanity and pretend to put on her make up and jewelry and try and be just like her. I would walk around in her high heels. Oh how I wanted to talk like her, walk like her, smell like her. I wanted to look just like her, but now I almost hate her.

I go over to the vanity and look at the jewelry some of the pieces are new but I recognise all the older pieces. One of the necklaces makes me gasp out loud. It's a necklace with a little sylph charm on it. I pick it up and stare at it.

"What?"

"My father got this for me." I say hoarsely. My father gave me the charm for me when he took me to see _La Sylphide_ my first, and consequently my favourtie ballet, I had fallen in love with the costume and the sets and music. Seeing those ballerinas up there dancing so prettily, I knew at that moment that's what I wanted to do.

"Daddy I want to dance just like those pretty ladies." I said.

"Well sweetie if you try hard enough you will, you'll dance even better and be even prettier than those girls up there."

Then he put the necklace around my neck.

"So you'll always remember your dreams." He said.

Neither of them has any right to necklace I think, and slide the necklace into my pocket. I don't care if they do suss out I've been here.

I stand outside the door for a moment. I can remember it exactly the way it was. The pink and white pinstripe wallpaper. The pictures of little ballerinas on the wall. The plush white carpet. I had a canopy bed with a pink canopy. I used to spend hours at my window seat reading. My dad had built bookshelves for me right into the wall. I had shelves filled with music boxes from around the world. I had an antique writing desk. I always thought I had the best room in the whole entire world. I push the door open, not knowing what to expect. My old room is now a sewing room. There is no trace that I ever lived here for eleven years. I just had to come here, stupid masochistic me.

I can't explain it but a sudden anger builds in me. I throw off the invisibility cloak and take a picture and hurl it to the ground. I take every picture off the wall and throw them to the ground. I smash a lamp. I rip apart pillows and feathers fly all around George and me. I throw every stupid little figurine and stomp their broken pieces into the carpet.

"I hate you both!" I scream even though they aren't here to hear me. I open drawers and point my hand at fabric and rip to shreds. In one of the drawers I see something else familiar. Our old family album. I take it out of the drawer, and sit on the floor with the album in my lap and start flipping through it. George sits next to and looks too.

"She's really disturbed." George says with disgust.

There are still pictures of me in the photo album, but I've been cut out of them, or my heads been cut off, or my face has been scratched out. Every single photo with me in it is savaged in someway. I'm not a therapist, but I know there's a deep seeded reason behind this. I shiver it is disturbing. I toss the photo album away from as if it burns.

"Come on Angie there's nothing for you here." George says softly and sadly.

Part of me wants to stay. I'd love to see her face when she sees me and sees what I've done to this room. I want her to hurt for all the years I've been hurting. That article she wrote hurts me as much a it angers me, and I've got a lot of pent up anger. There's a constant war within me. There's the nice little church girl my mum raised, and then there's woman I've become without her, then there's angry Angelina. Angrier than anyone, even George, has seen. All of them are fighting to be the dominant me.

He's right. This isn't my home anymore, it's just a place I'm standing in. I feel like an organ that's been rejected, where in the hell do I fit in now? I let George drape the invisibility cloak around us and we apparate home.

You OK?" George asks me.

"No." I say though clenched teeth. "I hate them."

"No you don't, it's not in you."

"Well someone is going to pay for my bad mood, we've still the cloak so let's go pay Taffy a visit." I say full of the blasé attitude that comes form being totally burned by life.

"That's my girl." George says.

We apparate outside of Taffy's offices, both George and I are so tall that we have to do a lot of stooping in order for our feet not to be seen under the cloak. Slone the bimbo receptionist extraordinaire is there twirling gum around her finger with a vapid expression on her face. There's another girl in a short red skirt perched on the edge of Slone's desk.

"So he's like on date with that Nigella girl." Slone says. "I don't know what he sees in her."

"Come on she's Nigella Prost a famous broom racer, and model that's what he sees in her." Says short red skirt.

"Awwa Taffy's got a wittle crush." George whispers in my ear and I have to stifle a giggle.

"Plus she spends loads of money on him." Slone adds. "She's taken him to dinner at Shellingtons', he acts like I never did things for him, I did- not money things, but I did things he most definitely liked"

"Well Taffy's moved on, come on you must know what he's like, I'm sure you heard the rumors."

"I've got an ideal." I say whispering to George. We apparate under the cloak to Shellingtons.' It's lunch time so it isn't very busy inside. Shellingtons only has a few tables so it makes it easier to do what I have to do. George follows my lead as I wend my way around tables careful not to touch anything or anyone.

As we approach Taffy's table I see his hand slide up Nigella's thigh and into her skirt and I suppress the urge to vomit. The man is totally disgusting. We creep up right beside Taffy's table, if he had the presence of mind he could reach out and touch the top of my head. My heart is beating a million times per second but I can't turn back now. I point my wand at his crotch and whisper "_Sarcoptes Scabiei_"

"What's that?" George Whispers in my ear.

"Oh a little hex I invented." I whisper back. "Watch."

For a few seconds Taffy appears to be fine, but then his lips twitches and his face takes on a look of discomfort.

My lips curl into an evil smile.

A sweat beaks out on Taffy's forehead, but he's trying to remain cool. He rest his hands on this thighs and he starts drumming his manicured fingers.

Nigella arches an eyebrow.

Taffy gives her a wide everything's all right grin as he starts vigorously rubbing his palms up and down his trousers. He's still trying to play cool ,but it's a losing battle. He stats jiggling and shaking his legs, finally he gives up all pretenses of being cool, and starts to scratch his crotch. Everyone in Shellingtons is looking at him.

"Are you all right?" Nigella asks

Taffy jumps up from the table, yanks down his trousers, and continues his profuse crotch scratching.

"Bloody hell, remind me never to get on your bad side." George says.

"I can't stand this damned itching it must be the trousers." Taffy says.

"Or an STD." Nigella says angrily. "If you given me anything I'll ruin you!" Nigella throws a glass of wine in his face. George and I scurry backward almost tripping over each other in our haste not to be touched by Nigella who's storming out of the restaurant.

Everyone in Shellingtons starts laughing. Even the cooks have come out of the kitchen to watch the festivities. Taffy has stuck his hands inside his pants and is digging like mad.

George and I are barely through the front door of the Bluebell before we fall on the floor laughing. George has gone completely red and tears stream out of both of our eyes. It gets to the point to where my stomach aches, but I still can't stop laughing.

"The intense itching will subside in forty-eight hours." I say to George when I finally catch my breath.

"I am so proud of you right now kitten." George says. "Fred and I combined couldn't have thought of a more perfect revenge."

We go into the kitchen and pour ourselves some pumpkin juice. We look at each other over our glasses and burst out laughing.

"I've been taking a lot of shit from people so that felt _really_ good."

"Hopefully Nigella has a big mouth" George says.

"If she doesn't someone in the restaurant sure will."

"Well if he does end up in the papers tomorrow he'll only be getting his own back." George says.

Tomorrow is when I go back to work, but part of me is scared that parents won't want me teaching their children after what they've read about my mother. It doesn't do anything in Muggles favor that's for sure, and I'm meant to be teaching Muggle Studies. I hope my students haven't already formed an opinion about me, because I just want to reach them. I don't want any of them having to grow up the way I did.

* * *

><p>"Angelina are you crying?" Kinnon asks.<p>

"Oh sorry I didn't know anyone was around, I'm a bit of a mess." I conjure a box of tissues and wipe my eyes. "I've been going through Charity's things, and I found a drawing one of her sons did for her." No need to drag Kinnon into my whole set of mummy issues, no doubt he's read about them anyway. I've only been back to work for two hours and already I'm having a bloody breakdown. "She'll never get to see this again, she'll never see her sons grow up, and for what?" I shake my head. "I just don't understand how someone can have so much hatred."

"I don't either Angelina, but I doubt you'll ever find a suitable answer. "

Kinnon voice sounds gruff as if he's holding back tears. Then I remember that half of Kinnon's family was killed by Death Eaters, it used to be a rare occurrence, but now it seems like half the people I know have lost a family member to Death Eaters. Dean Thomas only just found out what really happened to his father. He was actually a Wizard ,an Auror in fact, targeted by Death Eaters, and was killed when he refused to join them.

"I'm sorry Kinnon I shouldn't have brought this up, I'm so sorry about your family."

"No I'm the one who barged in on you, and thank you'"

"You seem so strong."

"Believe me I have my moments, but I'm sure you know what that's like."

"Yes I do." I sigh and square my shoulders. "I should give this to her husband, do you think he'd want it?"

"I know he would." Kinnon says. "If someone had something Fred made for you would you want it?"

Point taken.

"I can't stand being in this office." I say shuddering. "I had to pack up her things, I thought they'd be gone, but they were still here."

"Come on, remember Stan's invited us to tea, and you'll feel better for getting out of this office."

Neville's been invited to tea as well, so we go by his office to collect him. Neville's office is filled with hundreds of plants. All different kinds of plants, most of which I've never seen before. There are bright beautiful flowers and scary half reptile half plant looking things.

"Ready for tea with Stan?" Kinnon asks Neville.

"Yes"

I look at Kinnon and Neville "We're all so young to be professors." I say as we make our way across the grounds.

"It's the war." Kinnon says. "We lost a lot of teachers, and then some retired like Professor Sprout who just need time to themselves I reckon."

"I never thought I'd see Professor Sprout retire." Neville says.

"She fought really hard during the war, I guess it took a lot out of her." I say

"I don't think anyone is surprised that Slughorn didn't come back he never wanted to come here in the first place." Neville says

"I think the death of Dumbledore effected the staff here the most." Kinnon says. "Some wanted to keep right on teaching because that's what they knew Dumbledore would have wanted, but I think it was too sad for others and they couldn't return ,and I think Dumbledore would be ok with that too."

Neville nods. "Well said Kinnon."

"How's Euan doing?" I ask.

"It's still hard for him poor little tyke, but all of us Abercrombie's are from the Highlands and we're strong. He'll cope."

"I get so nervous thinking what classes will be like. I want to do good by the students because they've been through so much"

" Well you're very kind so no worries there, and you have the advantage of being friends with Fred, George and Lee, so these students probably can't throw anything at you that you haven't seen, and they can't use any Wizarding Wheezes products against you because you know them all." Neville says sagely.

Kinnon knocks on Stan's door and it's open almost at once. Stan has changed quite a bit. The biggest difference is that he's no longer spotty, and thanks to being a Groundskeeper he's actually got muscles now, he no longer looks as if a strong wind could blow him over. He let his hair grow out a little bit more, and now keeps it in a neat short ponytail. It rather helps to hide his very prominent ears.

"Come in, come in, don't be being strangers." He ushers in his surprisingly neat hut. It's very rustic looking like a hunting lodge. All of his tools are hung neatly on the walls. His copper cauldron shines brightly. Herbs are growing in his window sill. His owl's cage looks immaculate. He has a Bullmastiff called Prang.

"Would you all like tea or sumfink else?" He sounds like Montague, only his accent isn't put on.

"No tea will be fine.' I say. We all sit around his butcher block table while he puts the tea on.

"Do you like shortbread?"

"Love it." Kinnon says.

"Me granny sent me sum." Stan informs us. "Poor thin forgets oi live alone."

"So how do you like you new job." Neville asks

" 'Arid bin showin me all kinds of useful stuff like wot to expect when you go into the woods." He puffs his chest out proudly. "It's a job of work runnin dem woods." He pats his hip. "Got all of 'Agrid keys, well 'cept they're my keys now."

I like this. Being in Stan's hut talking about nothing but everyday mundane things. It keeps me from thinking about my mother and what others must be thinking of my mother. Nothing like having you dirty laundry aired to give you fits of paranoia.

"More tea love?" Stan asks and I nod.

When I go back to my office, Charity's son drawing is sitting right on top of my desk. Two little hand prints with the words, I love you mummy, written between them. How in the world is Mr. Burbage going to explain this to his sons how their mum died? I put the picture in a box with the rest of Charity's things and apparate to her house.

I knock on the door and Mr. Burbage answers with a little boy in only a nappy in his arms. Oh that must be one of her sons, the poor little thing.

"Yes?" He says breathlessly.

"My name is Angelina Johnson-

"Yes, I know who you are, you're the new Muggle studies teacher, come on in."

I follow Mr. Burbage inside.

"I have a few things that belonged to Charity, I thought you might like them."

"You thought I might like them?" He says and blinks. Slowly he takes the box from me. I wonder if I've done the right thing. Maybe I shouldn't have come here at all.

"Simon did this." He says taking the picture off the top. "He's our little artist Simon."

"I'm so sorry for you loss." I say though I hate saying those words, they feel so empty, hallow, and inadequate.

"Daddy who's that?" asks another little boy creeping into the room.

"This nice lady is going to do mummy's old job Ralphie."

"No!" Screams Ralphie. "That's my mummy's job!"

"Ralphie!" Mr. Burbage admonishes

"You're not my mummy I hate you!" Ralphie yells at me and runs from the room.

"Sorry about that, he really doesn't understand what death is, he didn't mean it."

"Of course, I understand." I say. I'm still struggling to understand death myself.

"I'd offer you some tea, but I'm really very busy at the moment."

"Oh no it's ok I should be going anyway."

"Well thank you for her things."

I leave the house feeling two feet tall.

I should go straight home, but instead I go to a pub called The Broken Wand. It's a fairly new pub so I don't expect to run into anyone I know. George would be so disappointed if he knew I was drinking, but I just need not to feel.

* * *

><p>"Angelina do yo have any ideal what time it is?" George asks me when I finally stumble through the front door. He looks into my eyes and smells my breath. "Are you drunk?"<p>

"Very." I say or rather slur. My face has taken on that numb feeling you get when you drink too much.

"Come on Angie you know drinking never solves anything."

"Who says I'm trying to solve anything maybe I just want to be drunk."

George rolls his eyes and sighs deeply as if I'm more than he can stand.

"Don't get shirty with me you're the alkie."

George's mouth falls open then closes quickly. He looks hurt, and of course he is I've hit him below the belt.

Without a word he turns and leaves the room.

"Now you know how it feels!" I shout after his retreating back. I hiccup and sink to the floor. Being drunk doesn't feel so good now. I've got to go and make things right with George.

I get up and the room is spinning, spinning, spinning. I stumble and fall into a wall. This hallway seems to be growing longer and longer. If my mum could see me now.

George has shut the door to our bedroom. It takes a few moments of fumbling for me to get it open. I lean heavily against it and turn the knob an fall into the room on my knees.

"Oh that's a nice look. " George says acidly.

"Fred seemed to think so." I say.

George push him self off the bed and pulls me up by my shoulders and stands me on my feet.

"That's enough!"

I'm about to ask him who died and made him my father, but he points his wand at me and shouts

"Sobrius!"

My stomach lurches as the spell hits me. Sobrious sobers you up, but it's like getting hit with a really intense three minute hangover. It takes everything I have not to throw up.

"What gives you the right?" I'm angry at George for making me feel what I don't want to feel.

"Being an addict, being your husband, and being in love with you."

"I just don't understand." I say. "It should be the easiest thing in the world to love your child, how come mines don't?"

Neither of us say anything. There are no words that can make this better.


	9. Chapter 9 Worlds Collide

A/N: Sorry to everyone for such a long pause it wasn't intended just been working six day weeks yuck! Holiday season is a upon us and that means lots of catering which means lots of work, so I won't be able to update as much, To compromise I will try and crank out two chapter updates which will make the cliffy's not cliffy's, or less evil, but at least you won't have to wait forever for an update when I do write an evil cliffy. (cue thunder and lighting). Hope you enjoy these two chapters more to come I promise. Hugs and Kisses. Pretty Please Review.

xXGred-ForgeX- LOL I wonder if anyone was going to notice Stan named his dog Prang,

vanessaaweasley- don't worry you'll be seeing more of Angelina's parents

Zombie Ink - I'm glad you liked Angelina's revenge whenever my story starts getting a little heavy I always try and throws some humor in so it's not so depressing.

Psyche101-I don't like Angelina's mom much either! I try not to do too many love scenes, I think they should be used sparingly, but I'm also writing about newly-weds and I want it be realistic so more sexiness to come

Hope-W-George _has_ been thought a lot, but so has Angelina, I've always seen them as one of those couple who could and would go to/ through hell and back for each other.

Nelli-5=Thanks for the comment on the pacing, I was worried that readers would think I was going too slow, but I don't want the story to feel rushed. Glad you like it. XD

-Silver Shiko-Thanks so much for the review it was very nice, it also made me laugh because of the things you suggested are already some of the things that I have happening in the story want pick my lotto numbers?

**Chapter Nine**

**Worlds Collide**

_What makes you think you can just walk back into her life _

_Without a good fight? _

**My Lovin'(you're never gonna get it)**-**En Vogue**

**Summer 1993**

"_Angelina what are you wearing?" Fred asks. _

"_A leotard, tights and a skirt, sorry I didn't have time to change after class, my Aunt was in a hurry, and you know I can't apparate without her." Angelina has just arrived to spend a day at the Burrow, and Fred and I have been standing outside on the hill waiting for aunt to bring her . The wind blows a string of clouds past the summer sun. _

"_What class is that again?" We ask. _

"_I've told you two a million times before, while you two spend your summers flying around in cars, I spend mines taking ballet classes." Angelina rolls her eyes and shakes her head_

"_That's what you wear to class?" Fred asks smirking._

"_Of course, it's to dance in silly." Angelina says hands on hips. She taps her foot clearly annoyed that we seem unable to process this simple fact._

"_What kind of dancing?" Fred and I ask together barely containing our laughter. _

_Angelina gives the pair of us an evil and annoyed look, and then as easily as lifting an arm lifts one leg above her head. "That kind of dancing." She says her chin lifted high, and then walks smugly to the Burrow. _

_Fred and I look at each other for a moment mouths agape. Then go running after her. _

"_Hey Angelina wait up!"_

The memory of Angelina doing that lied dormant in my mind until now. Now that I'm watching her dance outside of her ballet class. She doesn't know I'm here and I feel like a bit of a voyeur for spying on my own wife. I don't know why up until now I've never been to one of her ballet classes, only going into her house made me realise there's a huge part of Angelina that I don't know, and I guess I'm just trying to find that part of her.

I've never seen Angelina dance the way she's dancing now, on her toes, leaping, and twirling, so poised with and so much in control. There's something about seeing her dance that makes me feel shut off from her. Her movements are sad and beautiful, even on my saddest day I couldn't imagine expressing my pain like that, it's an out of body dance like she's someone else completely. I'll never fully understand the pain of her abandonment. It's making her into another person.

I really want to talk to Angelina about her parents, but she's put a wall up, she's thrown herself into her job, and the shop. When we come home we're both so tired we can barely hold our heads up let alone speak. Not that she would speak about it, when I do ask about it she just flat out refuses to answer me. Sometimes she can be so damn stubborn.

We had a good few days after she cursed Taffy. As it turns out Nigella has a very big mouth. The story was in the papers the next day and Taffy got the moniker of Sir- Scratch -a- Lot, but when the novelty wore off Angelina seemed to fall apart. Lately she's been acting as if I don't exist. She hardly talks to me, we sit at the breakfast table having sullen monosyllabic conversation. It's like she's in her own world. She hasn't been sleeping either she stays up at night roaming the house until I come get her and bring her back to bed.

When Angelina is finished dancing a man nudges her with his elbow whispers something in her ear and gestures towards the window. Angelina spins around, and sees me through the window and gives a cute little wave. She runs to the door and opens it.

"George what are you doing here?" She runs into my arms. This is a shock after the past few days being all but ignored. Her tone suggest that she's been dying for me to drop by long before this I feel a little like an arse for only thinking to stop by now. I give her a longish kiss.

"Ooer" Go the people in Angelina's class who are peeking out the open door at us. They don't seem the least bit shamed for watching.

"I told you he was real you owe me twenty pounds!" One of the men exclaims as Angelina leads me into her class.

"Everyone _this_ is my husband George."

It weird being in a room full of people who walk, move, and, stand like Angelina.

"So this is the famed firecracker salesman." A tall girl with short brown hair says. "No wonder you've been hiding him away he's bloody gorgeous."

"Yeah, we thought she made you up, another one of the guys says, but damn you're even sexier than she described." He has a Russian accent.

"Yes, and he's mines all mines." Angelina reminds them and snakes her arms around my waist.

So Angelina's been talking about me, and she described me as sexy.

"So what brings you here?" The girl with short brown hair asks.

"I just came to take my beautiful wife to lunch." I say. I hadn't really come here for that, but now that I'm here I might as well.

"I'll just go freshen up, and get my things." Angelina says

I feel conspicuous just standing there without Angelina. Everyone is looking at me, or rather the hole where my ear should be.

"Unfortunate firecracker accident." I say pointing to the hole.

"Well at least it didn't mess up that handsome face." Says Russian accent.

Angelina comes back into the room freshly showed and changed her gym bag slung over her arm. She hugs and kisses all the dancers good by.

"I can't believe you came." Angelina says. "Normally we have the curtains drawn to keep nosy perverts like you from watching in."

"You knew I was out there?" I ask as we step on to the sidewalk

"No, Anatoli, the Russian dancer that fancies you, noticed a cute redhead looking in."

"What can I say I'm a sex god to both sexes."

"Where are you taking me to lunch she ask dancing beside me.

"Anywhere you want."

We go to a café across the street.

I can't believe how happy Angelina seems to see me, she's giddy way girls are in school when they first get a boyfriend. Mum always said it was the littlest things.

"Padabure, padabure, chassé, jeté, padabure." Angelina sings.

We choose the tables outside because it's a nice day and who knows how many of those we'll have. We order but Angelina thinks my chicken piccata looks better than her spaghetti Bolognese and starts eating off of my plate.

"I thought you said you wanted to taste it, not eat the whole bloody thing."

"Sorry dancing makes you hungry." She says.

"Does it make you horny?" I ask under my breath.

"What?"

"Oh nothing." I say.

"I'll pay, I've still got Muggle money from my auntie."

"Where does you aunt think you are?"

Angelina shrugs. "Who knows my mum probably told her I became a nun."

"You told your dancer friends I sell firecrackers?"

"They kept asking what you did, I had to tell them something, I didn't want them thinking my husband was a no account schlub."

I laugh and I'm about to respond, but a man is walking up fast to our table.

"Angelina!"

Angelina almost jumps out of her seat, and her head spins around seemingly almost completely her eyes grow to twice their normal size.

"Daddy?"

I drop my glass on the table, water splashes all over me.

Angelina's mouth is gaped wide open and she sits frozen in place.

"You still know what I look like?" She asks in a voice so small it almost sounds childish.

"Of course I do, I might have not seen you for years, but you're my daughter and I could never forget your face." Her father is crying, and not silent tears either. He's a bloody mess and people in the café are staring at him.

"I never thought I'd see you again, ever since I found out about Voldemort and that war I've been looking for you."

"You've been looking for me?" Angelina echoes.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Oh Angelina." Her father says grabbing her hands. "I resented sending you away the very day I did it, but I was so foolishly in love with your mother."

"Was?"

"We got a divorce years ago." He says.

"In that interview mum gave she said you told her that you gave up your magic." Angelina says accusingly.

"I did say that years ago, I was sycophantic and I hated myself, I'd of done or said anything to keep your mother."

"The house though it's the same. I found our photo albums she cut my head off!"

"She never really got over your being a Witch. She wanted to get rid of every trace of your existence, we used to had huge rows about it before I left.

"Angelina are you all right?" I ask. She looks as if she might pass out.

"I" Angelina says she's gripping the edges of the table as if her life depended on it. "I"

"Angelina?" Her father says.

"I can't do this." Angelina says suddenly yanking her hands from her father's "I just can't do this right now." She scrambles blindly under the table finds her bag grabs it, and throws some Muggle money on the table, and then she pops up like a Jack-in-the-box, and runs. She doesn't even look where she's running she just runs blindly across the street. A car honks angrily at her as it almost hits her.

"Angelina! Angelina!" I scream as her long legs quickly carry her out of sight. I turn towards her father. "What in the hell are you playing at?"

"I'm sorry, but Angelina's mum isn't doing well mentally, and she rung me absolutely hysterical because that sylph charm I got for Angelina went missing she thought the devil took it, but I knew that my daughter had been home."

"How did you even find her- Never mind I've got to find my wife, and for Angelina to actually be you're daughter you'd have to actually have been her father ." I say.

I take off down the street calling out Angelina's name and looking round for her. I've never seen Angelina run from anything in her life, even after what Montague did to her she was strong, even after Fred died she stayed strong. I'm scared of what she might do and I have no ideal where she's gone. I find a secluded enough spot and apparate to her parents house. She isn't there. Nor is she at Fred's grave, the burrow, or either of the joke shops. I feel like pulling my hair out.

I go home to see if maybe she's been there. It isn't long before I hear someone at the front door. I race to it and Angelina walks slowly through the door.

"Angie thank Merlin." I pull her in for a hug and feel something hot, wet and sticky on my arm.

"You've splinched yourself." Blood runs down her arm and chunk of her forearm is missing,

"I didn't even notice until now." Angelina says and her knees buckle. I catch her and carry her to the bedroom to patch her up.

"What's going on Angie you've given me quite a scare." I say after I lie her down on the bed.

"I don't know I just couldn't take seeing him there it was too soon." Angelina's voice is faint and she speaks with her eyes closed.

I put the lid back on the essence of dittany and seal the package on the bandages. I don't think she'll need to go to 's it was a nasty wound but not life threatening.

"Do you think your father is really sorry?"

"No." She says. " I don't even know how he found me."

"Maybe you're aunt told him how to find you someone had to tell him about Voldemort and the war.

"How could he act like that?" She asks. "How could he act so hurt when he's the one who got rid of me like I was some kind of dog you drive out into the country and leave there."

I don't say anything I just hold her hand.

"I've been damn fine without him, and what he thinks he can just come back into my life and all will be forgiven, not bloody likely." She laughs without a trace of humor. "That first night my dad left me at my aunt and uncle I was so scared I peed in the bed. I thought I might burn the house down or I'd go to hell or something."

Angelina has never told me this before now.

"I hid the sheets until I could wash them, I thought if my aunt and uncle knew what I had done they'd send me away." She sits up. "He has no I ideal what I've been through and for him to just show up crying it makes me sick."

I just keep holding her hand I have no ideal what to say to her.

"He makes me sick to just assume that I'd forgive him or even want to see him" Angelina sits up with some difficulty. "I bloody hate him and he'd better hope that he doesn't need an organ."

"Angie calm down."

"Fuck calming down!" She yells. "He was crying, do you know how many nights_ I _spent crying over him, over the both of them. Why should I care if he divorced my mum, I hope they're both miserable for the rest of their lives."

I know she doesn't mean this, but I also know it wouldn't be wise to point this out so I keep my lips sealed.

"It's been eleven years! Eleven whole years of me tearing myself to pieces and wondering why I was never good enough for him to love me, I thought I'd done something wrong. I should have spit in his face"

When it comes to anger Angelina and I are a lot alike only she does a better job at keep a lid on her anger, usually.

"I feel like I can't relax now, I'm just so angry at him." She balls up her fist, what is wrong with my parents? I mean really who has parents like mines, I'm a total freak."

"You're not a freak."

"You're right I'm the paragon of normalcy." Angelina says drily and I have to laugh.

"So you're stark raving who isn't after the war."

"What's my father excuse."

"He hasn't got one."

Angelina stares at me for a long time and then cups my cheek.

"I love you George, I may be completely fucked in the head, but I love you anyway.."

"We are a strange couple aren't we."

"A strange couple with issues." Angelina says

"Subscriptions."

"Volumes."

"Libraries."

We both laugh. If it wasn't for laughing Angelina and I would probably never stop crying. I climb into bed next to her.

"I wonder where he lives now, what if he's remarried ?"

I never thought of that, it would be weird.

"I kind of want his life to be a disaster, am I twisted?"

"No."

"I just don't want to feel disposable anymore."

"You're not, I've been thinking about it and I think your mum hates herself for hating you."

"You sound like Alicia."

"I mean it."

"It was a compliment, Alicia is the Hermione of human emotions."

"Oh, well then." I give her one of Taffy's smug arse looks.

"You were saying."

"Right, it's like she wants to love you, but I don't it would mean what she's known for year is wrong, I think in her mind if magic isn't bad then everything she knows must be wrong. It's like when people didn't want to believe Voldemort was back, because then they'd have to change their minds or accept things they never wanted to accept."

"I think that therapy is rubbing off."

"Maybe."

"Doesn't matter I never want to see him." She says. "He had his chance I'm a grown woman now I don't need a daddy anymore."

"Good." I say. "You have a family that loves you very much already." I kiss her cheek. I pull her into my arms her body is completely tense her muscle are knotted up.

"That's right, he's made his choice and now he gets to live with it." It seems like we're putting in a lot of time in for such a short period of marriage. I suppose this why people talk about us. Our lives may be fascinating to an outsider, but inside we just want things to be normal and quite, but we didn't start off normal, and it always comes down to that in the end.


	10. Chapter 10 Daddy's Issues

A/N: Happy Reading!Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**  
><strong>Daddy's Issues<strong>  
><em>Father of mine<em>  
><em>Tell me where have you been?<em>  
><em>You know I just closed by eyes<em>  
><em>My whole world disappeared<em>  
><strong>Father of Mines- Everclear<strong>

After I ran away from the café I went walking around the city just looking at mums and daughters, daughters and fathers and just families in general. I'd never felt so lonely in my entire life. I'd forgotten how it felt to be in a city. How it could sallow you up in anonymity, and how that can sometimes feel like the best thing in the world. You weren't an individual just one of many organisms. It's always such a normal day, when ever the bomb drops on me . As chaotic as my life has been I should be used to this kind of thing.

I think when I saw my dad at that café my whole nervous system shut down, it wasn't that I forgot my dad existed, I had just prepared myself mentally long ago that I would never see him again. Oh but I wanted to. I had always secretly hoped that by taking ballet classes in Hampton there was a chance I'd run into him, of course in my head he was the one who was caught off guard by me and I calmly and coolly berated him and reduced him into rubble., but him seeing me first, and him being emotional and remorseful, well that threw me off completely. Bad things have good timing. I want to ask him why now, after eleven years of not giving a fuck why give one now?

I hadn't even known I splinched myself until I got home, and when I saw the wound it hurt like bloody hell. Pain is an odd thing; all that time I was walking around wounded but it didn't hurt until I saw it. Kind of like seeing my dad again. George was right I should have never gone to my house again, though I probably wouldn't have if Scratchy hadn't of done that interview with my mum. At any rate it's too late wishing I hadn't opened that can of worms, I've already did it and now I've got to live with it.

My father has aged not badly, but he has aged. Then again I must look older to him now. I'd forgotten how much my eyes look like his or how we both have long fingers and long necks. I don't know if I want him back in my life, what he just leaves again?

"Angelina." Charlie says and I jump. 'Could you pass the bread, are you ok I was calling your name for like five minutes."

"Oh sorry." I pass him the bread. Its another Sunday family dinner at the Burrow, and for the first time I feel claustrophobic. Everyone here comes from happy normal homes, but I'm the odd girl out. They've all been being especially nice to me because of what my mum said in that interview, and then George just had to tell them about the photo album. I know they all think my mum's mental, they're just too polite to say it.

"Angelina are you sure everything is all right?" Molly asks.

"Yes." I say with a fake smile plaster on my face. "Just feeling tired with school almost being here." I say.

Molly nods but she doesn't look like she believes me. George looks at me too and I know he doesn't believe me, but why would after the way I reacted to seeing my dad. I haven't told anyone beside George about running into my dad, I'm just not ready to, they already feel bad for me about my mum, I can't imagine how they'd react if they found out about my dad. I can't take any more sympathetic looks. I remember people doing that to George when he got out of rehab and how he hated it.

The last thing I want to be around is a happy family. Their togetherness makes me feel alone. Especially when they tell old stories. It makes me feel like I don't know George as well as I think I do. I'm relived when we finally go home.

"So what are you going to do about your dad?" George asks.

"I don't know."

"You're not changing your mind you are you?"

"I said I don't know." I kick off my shoes and take out my earrings.

"Come on Angie talk to me." George says from where he's sitting on the be bed.

"I want to see him, no I need to see him. I pictured running into my father so many times in my mind. I thought of all the things I'd say to him and I didn't, I just ran like a bloody fool."

"Look what happened when you went back home Angie, it wasn't what you thought"

"I know, but I need answers and closure of some kind, I'm never going to get that from my mum, he's the only person I can get it from, he owes me at least that much."

"I don't like this."

Ugh he can be so bloody relentless sometimes.

"Look can't we leave this for another night."

"There never is another night or a good time."

"George please." I say.

"You're not yourself Angie."

There's a lump in my throat. He's right I have changed, I feel I'm shutting down. The one thing that scared me the most about falling in love and getting married was letting someone else have that much control of your emotions. I love George and if he ever left me it would probably destroy me. What my father did to me almost destroyed me but I fought and survived. When Fred died that almost destroyed me too, and not being able to play Quidditch professionally anymore, and Montague. When I went through all of those things George was with me, I don't know how I could have made it through if it weren't for him.

"Just give me time." I say.

George presses his lips together but doesn't say anything.

I sit on his lap. "Please."

"I'll try Angie."

"Don't try do." I say.

"I'll do Angie."

* * *

><p>My aunt's owl is tapping at out kitchen window Monday morning. I let her in take her letter and give her some treats and pet her head.<p>

"Isn't that your aunt's owl?" George ask shuffling into the kitchen his hair still rumpled from sleep. He takes the orange juice and drinks straight from the container. I don't even yell at him to get a glass this morning

"It's a letter from my dad." I say sitting down at the table to read it.

_Dear Angelina,_

_I'm sorry for the way I acted when I saw you the other day at the cafe. I didn't expect to see you! I didn't know I'd get so emotional, but you must understand that I've been trying to find you for quite some time now. know I cannot make up for all of the pain that I have caused you, I know this is very sudden and I'll understand if you never respond, I would like a second chance to be in your life. I don't expect an answer from you straight away, take all the taking time you need, but please if you find in your heart to give me a second change owl me back and we can have lunch and talk about things. _

_Very much sorry, _

_Your Father. _

"What does it say?" George asks.

"He wants a second chance."

"I thought you never wanted to see him again."

"I was really angry when I said that."

"Good, you should be after everything he's done to you. Don't give him a second chance he doesn't deserve it."

"I want to see him, but how do I know if I can trust him, and I'm still so angry at him."

"If you don't see him, I don't think you should feel bad about it."

"I told you I _need _to see him. I'm going to tell him everything I've been keeping inside for eleven years. I want him to know how it feels to lie awake at night wondering why his love went away. I want to know how he could sleep at night knowing what he did to me. I want him to know what _you_ did for me, how you helped me."

"I know, I know, but I'm still allowed to not like it." George says. "I never got to see the good side of him Angie, all he is to me is a bloke that caused you a lot of pain. I can't help it if I want to protect you."

I start on breakfast because I'm so full of emotion and energy and it has to go somewhere. I feel shaky and anxious like there isn't enough air in the room for the both of us.

"Can we please just drop this for now, I told you I really don't want to talk about it."

"Fine." George says and stalks out of the kitchen. I let the breath I've been holding out. Great now we're fighting just what I need. I can feel George's anger as I walk into the room. He's getting dress in quick sharp movements. Snapping his clothes and yanking on them.

He's so over-protective when it comes to family and friends, he loves so intensely it scares me sometimes, I feel inadequate because I seem to be unable to feel things as deeply as he does. I'm a woman it should come easily for me, but it doesn't. Everything George feels seems to be to the fullest and in Technicolor. I wish I could see the world the way he does sometimes. He and Fred have always been so full of life, I think that's why people were so drawn to them, but sometimes living with someone with so much intensity is overwhelming.

"I'm going." He says giving me a quick peck on the cheek. He's angry but not completely pissed off yet.

"George when you get silent because you're thinking about Fred, or you're feeling the pain of not being a twin anymore, and you don't talk, I get it, I get that sometimes you just need space, can't you do that for me?"

"Ok." He says.

I give him a long kiss to make up for the one he gave me.

"You know I could be late to work." He arches one eyebrow.

"Down boy, you can't be late to work an neither can I."

* * *

><p>I go to work writing letters to my father in my head and not liking how any of them are sounding. Work keeps my mind distracted for awhile. I read through my roster of first year students and go over my first term lesson plans.<p>

Kinnon and Neville stop by my class and we go to Stan's for lunch. His hut is much nicer than the staff room it feels more homey. The house elves cook for Stan, they're quite mad about him, he's got a way with magical creatures. I never find it hard talking to Stan, Neville or Kinnon about my family, they've all come from screwed up homes themselves.

Stan told us his father used to beat him.

"Don't know wot made 'em so mean, but 'ee had a temper, hit 'cho for any little thing."

"You're mum didn't do anything?" Neville asks.

Naw, she got hit too, tried makin 'er leave but she won't, says she loves em."

I will never understand people who stay with someone who treats them badly. I stayed with George when he did drugs, because I knew that's not who he really was, but from what Stan's told us about his father he's always been a bastard, and my mum was never tolerant of my dad being magical, squib or no, but he stayed.

"My dad was a verbally abusive misogynist who drank too much, but he also died a war hero so what can I say?" Kinnon told us when we talked about our dysfunctional childhoods. Taffy's interview with my mum is what broke the ice on the subject of bad childhoods. Here in Stan's hut no one here judges us or give us pitying looks, or that look that says "Oh No wonder why you're so fucked up" The four of us can laugh about it, trade war stories, and show off scars.

"I want to go and see my father, but George doesn't want me to, he's afraid I'm going to get hurt."

"One day maybe you won't be able to talk to him and you'll regret it." Neville says. "My mum and dad didn't plan on getting tortured into insanity, even still I can never carry on a normal conversation with them again."

"I was still mad at my dad when he died." Kinnon says. "He kept trying to tell me he wasn't perfect but I didn't want to hear it.."

"Oi wish my dad would reach out me, or my mum would leave me dad but that ain't going to 'appen not saying do it, just fink about is all."

"All I've been doing is thinking about it." I say morosely.

"Take your time that way you can make the best decision." Kinnon says.

"Yeah you waited eleven years, now it's your father's turn to wait." Neville says.

I go back to my classroom and start writing a letter to my father, one turns another and another till the floor is litter with parchment balls. I hurl a pad of parchment across my office, and Kinnon ducks just in time.

"I was just going to ask for some spell-o tape, but I see now is not a good time."

"Sorry, can't get this damn letter to come our right."

"Writer's block?"

"I just don't know what to say to him, it shouldn't be like this he's my father but the two of us are nothing more than strangers."

"Don't worry so much about what you write, just have him meet you somewhere and just say it, if he really wants to be back in your life he should be able to take a few truths."

'You think so?"

"A parents love just doesn't go away." Kinnon says.

"You don't know my mother." I say. "Her love is like a switch she can just turn off."

"I'm sorry about her, but at least your father reaching out to you."

"I know George doesn't want me to see him, but I have to go."

"Follow your gut it usually tells you the right thing to do, remember when you played Quidditch and sometimes you gut was the only thing you had to go on."

I well remember that feeling. There was always that split second where you didn't have time to be logical you had to act on what your gut was telling you.

"You're right, and more importantly I'm right." I say. "I'm going to see him."

"That's good on you." Kinnon Says.

The sound of someone clearing their throat makes me look towards the doorway.

George is standing in the doorway looking like a thunder cloud.

Kinnon looks from me to George. "Well I think I'd better go. He excuses himself and beats a hasty retreat.

"What was that all about?" George asks.

"What?"

"You talking to him about your dad."

"It's not anything George, it's not like I'm excluding you it's just easier talking to him.

"Do you fancy him?"

"What are you five?, how could you even ask me that?" I look up at him stunned. "I also talk to Neville and Stan think I fancy them too?"

"So you can talk to three strangers, but you can't talk to your husband."

" Neville isn't a stranger, and I didn't plan on talking to them about my father it just came up one day."

"Why can you tell them but not me?" George asks. "You tell me everything or at least you used to."

"I just don't want to get into how fucked up my family is because then you'll see how fucked up I am."

"Yeah because I'm the paragon of normalcy." He says and I manage a small laugh.

"I just don't want to see that look on your face."

"What look?"

"That pitying look, that poor-Angelina -with -her- nutty-mum -and-her-not-there- daddy look."

"I don't pity you Angie I think your awesome to have come from that and be who you are."

"I'm going to see my dad, there are things I need to say to him and I want to hear him say. I'm going to meet him tomorrow, the sooner the better I don't want to put this off."

"I know you need to do this so I won't give you a hard time, but I _still_ don't like it."

"I know, but this isn't about you George it's about me."

* * *

><p>I'm meeting my father at the café of our first ill fated meeting. I've come late because I know my father will come early. Coming late give the advantage, and I spy on him as I come into the café. He sits like I do, I'd never notice that before. His legs bounce up and down as he looks around from me. I take my time walking up to him, and my heart beats faster and faster. I take a deep breath. "He's more scared of you." I say under my breath.<p>

"Hello." I say when I'm right beside him.

"Angelina! Hello darling."

He tries to hug me but I step back out of his reach.

"Right, too soon." He says and we both sit down.

"You look beautiful.' He says staring at me. "I want you to know how sorry I am for what I did to you and I know nothing can-

"You're right nothing can make up for it." I say.

"I'm not making an excuse, but what your grandparents did messed me up for a really long time, but I got help to deal with it and I'm trying to do the right thing."

"Why?, why did you give me like a dog, do you have any ideal what I've been through since you've gone?" I ask. The waiter who just came up to our table steps hurriedly away. "Do you know how many nights I spent crying over you?"

"I know, but all I can say is I'm sorry and try and be for you here now." He says. "I wish I could take all back and watch you grow up, I wish it more than anything Angelina."

It feels weird to hear him call my name. All of this still feels like some kind of dream.

"How did you find me?"

"I started looking for you when all those things started happening the bridge being attacked, the freak "hurricane", and those awful murders, I knew it was more than the Prime Minister was telling us, I had wanted to see you for so long, but was afraid it was too late, then I got scared that I'd never see you again and I had to find you."

"So how did you?"

"I swallowed my pride and went to see my parents, I was shocked at how very little they knew about you."

"Let me fill you in. The first man I ever loved died, and I'm married to his identical twin, I wasn't sober when I lost my virginity, during the war I was tortured and almost raped"

My father face is a mixture of sadness, horror and regret. "Angelina I-

"I could have used you then." I scream at him and don't care who's looking. I meant to keep cool and stay in control. I didn't want him to know his absent upset me as much as it does. "I needed you so many times and where the hell were you!"

"I know Angelina and I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry, but I'm trying to make up for it now."

"And so what I should just stop being angry?"

"No you have every right to be."

"Stop being so damn nice you're making this hard."

My father laughs. I made my father laugh and told him I was drunk when I lost my virginity in the same day, this is too strange.

"I've changed a lot since you saw me last. I don't hate myself anymore, and I don't hate my parents anymore."

"I don't hate you, I just don't like you."

My father looks as if he's been slapped then slowly smiles. "You always shot from the hip."

"What?"

"Nothing I just meant that you're still brutally honest."

I don't know how to respond to that so I just shrug.

The waiter comes back to our table and we both order soup and a sandwich.

"Do have any inkling of what you not being around did to me, is still doing to me?"

"No."

"Did you really think you were doing the right thing by giving me away, I mean how could you think that was the right thing to do to a little girl?"

"My whole way of thinking was wrong back then, I wasted so many damn years being stupid and afraid ,I could have lost you forever."

We eat in silence but keep sneaking glances at each other, and then we sit in awkward silence.

"Well you haven't lost me yet, I'm not saying I'm forgetting or forgiving you, but I would like to see you again." I say finally

"That's wonderful." My father says. "I'll see you on your own terms and we can take this as slow as you want to."

"I hope you mean that." I say.

"I do." He pays for our lunch and we get up to leave. My father goes to hug me but I step back out of his reach.

"I Forgot too soon." He says and I nod.

I go home feeling not happy but not sad either. I didn't go like I had it planned out in my head, but that was a good thing.

George is waiting for me when I get home.

"How did it go?"

"Better than expected." I say.

"So he's back in your life just like that?"

"No, not just like that, but he is my father George."

"Sorry Angie I'm trying, but he's still the bad guy to me."

"Well try harder."

"I will for you I will."

George hugs me and I hope both he and my father will keep their word to me, but I know better than anyone that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.


	11. Chapter 11 SoninLaw

A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaack, I'd like to blame the sheer madness of the Holidays for my long absence from this story, but the real reason was simply writers block. Never have I had a case of writer's block like I had. I wasn't very happy with the way the last two chapters came out, I wanted George and Angelina's fighting to have a fragmented feel to it, but the transitions between the fights didn't feel smooth enough to me, I debated if I should just scrap the last two chapters and write them over, or scrap the whole sequel for some reason I was really starting to hate this story so I took a break from writing it, but it didn't help, when I tried to write again I still had **major** writers block and it was beginning to worry me. I felt like I'd _never _finish this story. I wrote several drafts of this chapter and didn't like any of them, so I scrapped them all and wrote some more and scrapped them all as well. Finally I looked up all things George and Angelina on the internet, and it reminded me of why I loved this paring so much in the first place, there's a lot of love for this couple, but not a lot of stories for them. There is also a lot of hate out there for this couple. Oddly enough it was the hate this couple gets that inspired me and so without further ado I giveth thee the Pièce de résistance. Hope you like it.

Pretty please review. Hugs and Kisses.

**Psyche101- **I realized that I always wrote about Angelina going to ballet class but I never wrote about actually being in ballet class.

**Hope-W**- George isn't the type to but up with bullshit not ever from Angelina's father

**ZombieInk**- Just call me TNT because I know drama lol

**xXGred-ForgeXx**- I like the "down boy" part to but I kind of felt bad for George when it wrote it.

If I've forgotten you review **please**forgive me it's been a while and my inbox is a hot mess.

**Chapter Eleven**

**Son-in-Law**

_But the altar is empty _

_And she'll never be a little girl again_

**Children in Bloom-Counting Crows**

Angelina and I are on a seesaw, up one minute and down the next. She clings to me and then she pulls away, I say I'll try and be more understanding about her father but then I'm not. Ever since her father has returned the dynamic between us has changed. Sometimes I feel like Angelina's father is taking my place, I know it's mad I'm her husband, so her father could never replace me but, when she's down he's the only one who can make her feel happy again, he gives her something that I can't, that I never could.

Increasingly I find the joke shops my salvation. It's a relief to be there, and to get out of the house and that situation. Working in the London shop also helps me feel closer to Fred, when I'm in the shop alone I talk to him as if he were still here with me. Sometimes at the kitchen table I'll jump at the shock of not seeing Fred's smiling face in the chair across from me, this is something Angelina has gotten used to, it's having an ice cold bucket of water poured over you remembering that I'll _never_ see Fred again. There is no longer amount of time than never.

A joke shop full of happy people who have nothing more on their minds for the moment than having laugh is the best therapy for me. I can't wait to see the faces of the first years when they come to shop, it's just like Angelina to think to invite them, we love each other so much, so why does our marriage have to be so damn hard sometimes?

The bell over the shops door tinkles and I hear a familiar voice say.

"Hey Ginger."

"Lee!" I say glad to see my best mate. "What are you doing here?"

"Was in the area thought I'd stop in."

"Well I was about to go to lunch want to come with?"

"Sure, I haven't eaten yet." Lee says.

We go to the Leaky Cauldron.

"So how is life in Marriedville?" Lee asks as soon as we are seated.

"Why?" I ask a little more defensively than I meant to.

"Don't take my head off I was just asking."

"Sorry. It's just lately we're all over the place, and we're fighting all the time, then we make up, but it's like we didn't really make up, we've just spell-o taped over our problems."

"Mate please, I'm not even married yet." Lee says.

"It's harder than you think, it's mostly wonderful, but it's also a lot of hard work."

"I thought you two were doing ok."

"We are, we were until her parents came along."

"_Parents, _So what her dad is back?"

"Shit I forgot you didn't know, yeah her dad is back, we're not exactly telling people so keep it quite"

"My lips are sealed." Lee says. "So did he just show up one day?"

I tell Lee all about our encounter.

"Man that seems pretty damn intense."

"Angie's not taking it well, and it's the first time since I've known her that I feel like I don't know her."

"You're scaring me Ginger, you and Angelina, I mean the two of you are going to be OK right?"

"Yeah, I say, think of all the crap she took when I went off the rails, can't very well throw in the towel just cos she's going though something now."

"Just don't forget to look after yourself." Lee says.

"I won't, but I'm her husband and it's my job to be there for her. I'm not going to run off or start doing drugs again."

"I never said that."

"You were just thinking it."

"Yeah, so?" Lee replies and we both laugh.

After lunch with Lee I spend the rest of the day apparating between the two joke shops. The Hogsmeade joke shop is now our flagship store it makes more sense as our students will be the majority of our sales. Also Hogwarts is where all of this started and Zonko's was our inspiration, and I know Fred would have felt the same way, buying this place when it had been Zonko's was just an dream of ours, now it's my reality.

"We did it Fred." I say. I'm as excited as the first years are for this place to open, and I'm happy to know the things they buy from my shop will help drive Filch mad and help uphold a fine Hogwarts tradition. It's only a week until the opening of the shop and the first day of Hogwarts, and I do hope Angelina is up to her new job as professor.

When I get home Angelina is there looking into cabinets and muttering to herself.

"George what are you doing home?"

"Came home for supplies I forgot." I say kissing her.

"What are _you_ doing home?"

"Prepping tomorrows dinner." She says.

"Now, you're preparing for tomorrows dinner now, why?"

"My father is coming over for dinner tomorrow."

"That's er… sudden isn't it?"

"No George it isn't, it's been eleven fucking years in the making, and you're going to be nice to my father or so help me Merlin you're going to get an ass full of fork." Angelina holds up a serving fork and waves it under my nose.

"Duly noted." I say taking the fork away from her.

"In all seriousness I know you still think I've forgiven my father too easily."

I open my mouth but Angelina overrides me.

"It wasn't an easy decision, and it wasn't one I made hastily, I can't keep hating him George, and I can't keep being angry at him it would destroy me. Things happen in life, and you just have to deal with them the best you can, my dad and I can't move backwards to make this all better we can only move forward so please let us."

"OK Angie."

"I mean it George."

"I know!" I snap, and take a deep breath and ask "So what are you making?"

"Coq au vin, Fleur showed me how to make it."

I have no ideal what Coq au vin is but I just nod anyway.

"There's leftovers if you want them for lunch, and I can heat them up for you." Angelina says.

"No I can do it myself." I say.

We move around each other in the kitchen like people who have just met. I feel like grabbing Angelina and shaking her, but I know there's more to it than just her "feeling off." like she keeps telling me. I'm hoping whatever is bothering her she'll tell me when she's ready, but I'm not going to wait forever. She kisses me before I go and holds me as if she doesn't want to let go but when I look her in the eyes she looks away.

"I'm done here, I really should be going." She says. "Try and come home early and wear something nice to dinner please."

"Angelina"

"Yeah?"

"Never mind it's nothing." I say and head back to the shop. Give her time. I tell myself. Give her time.

The Joke shop is ever more crowed when I get back with my supplies. I had three staffers quit because they thought the job was just too demanding, but I've replaced two of the three. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan are now working for me and living in the flat above the shop. I can hear them having a row in the back room as soon as I enter.

"Your mum is coming over again?" Dean is saying. "I thought the point in having our own place was so we could be slobs, party, and have our girls stay overnight, but how can we when your mum is ALWAYS THERE!"

"She just worries about me being on my own, and besides why do you care Lavender hangs out at the shop all day anyway."

"So?"

"So, I thought Lavender was dating Justin Finch-Fletchley." I say making both of them jump. Seamus knocks over a box of trick wands and a bunch of frogs go leaping across the room.

"She was." Seamus says, but they broke up." He snickers and Dean shoots Seamus a dark look.

"What?" I say getting the feeling that I'm missing something.

"Dean got together with Lavender at the Leaky Cauldron over shots of Firewhiskey an commiserating about being dumped by Weasleys'"

"Shut it." Dean says as we laugh.

"I Told him he couldn't compete against the boy who lived."

"Not many can, unless of course you're witty, athletic and good looking like me." I say.

Dean throws a frog at me. It hits square in my chest and explodes upon impact leaving a big slimey green stain trailing down the front of my shirt.

"Not so good looking now." He quips and he and Seamus fall over themselves laughing.

"Man that is foul." Seamus says plugging his nose at the pond scum smell.

I shrug and clean off the front of my shirt with my wand, I of course encourage this sort of behaviour at work.

"So how's Angelina been?" Seamus asks once he's composed himself.

"She's all right." I say. I'll bet the little pervert wants to know how Angelia's doing he fancies her, but I don't take it personally as he also fancies Cho, Ginny, and Alicia . He's got a fetish for girls who play Qudditch professionally. It's a bit pathetic really.

"Well things are running smoothly here, so I'm going to go check to see that the Hogsmeade store is in order one last time."

Seamus and Dean nod.

"One more thing."

"Yeah?" Dean says.

I point my wand at them and green pond scum shoots out covering them both head to toe.

"Clean yourselves up." I say.

"We work for George Weasley in a magic shop that he owns, how didn't we see _that _coming?" Dean says just before I disparate.

Verity is holding things down at the Hogsmeade joke shop so I apparate

home. The house is spotless, even more spotless then Angelina usually keeps it.

"Oh good you got home early, get changed, I've laid your clothes out on the bed for you, my father should be here any minute"

Her father arrives promptly at six bringing flowers and a bread basket. Angelina's father face totally lights up when he sees her coming out of the kitchen.

"Hello father." She says.

I can tell he wants to hug her but she still won't allow it.

"Come on and I'll give you the tour." She links her arm though his and walks him over to the mantel. "This is George and me at our wedding." She says excitedly taking the photo of us waltzing during our first dance at the wedding, off the mantel and showing it to him.

"You look so beautiful, I wish I could have been there to give you away. I've missed so much of your life, I'll never forgive myself for that."

"Well you'll just have to make it up to me by sticking around and making a bunch of new memories." She says.

I follow the pair of them feeling like a spare broom. After the grand tour Angelina goes to check that dinner is ready.

"It's not quite done yet." She tells us. "Why don't the two of you sit in the living room and have a chat, I'll bring you two something to drink" She goes into the kitchen and comes out with two glasses of pumpkin juice. "I shouldn't be more than a few minutes." She says.

I know Angelina too well, I know she's planned all of this. She wants me to be alone with her father she knows I'd never make the effort to talk to him otherwise, only she's wrong. I've been hoping for a chance to talk to him alone.

"Angelina, she seems happy." Her father says.

"She _is _happy."

"Your family they're ok with her then."

"What do you mean by ok with her?" I ask.

Her father puts his empty glass down and stares at me for a minute.

"You're really going to pretend like you don't know?"

"My family doesn't care about her having dated Fred, they know she loves me for me."

"That's not what I was talking about."

"Well could you fill me in because I have no ideal."

"In case you hadn't noticed my daughter is black."

"Oh, and that matters to you, that I'm not black?" I ask raising an eyebrow.

"I would have loved for my daughter to marry a black man, but you've made my daughter happy and protected her all of these years, and that's really all I care about."

"So why would you think my family would have a problem with the color of Angelina's skin then?"

"People do all the time, don't they have prejudice in the Wizarding world?"

"Yes but it's mostly down to blood, there aren't that many Witches and Wizard in the world so people tend to careless about skin colour and more about blood purity." I say. "I love Angelina and I love her brown skin, but that's not why I married her, she's more than her skin colour, she's more than anything."

"Your family really doesn't care about the colour of her skin?"

"No, they never have, we all love Angelina." How trivial I think to be hung up solely on the colour of ones skin, it's as stupid as being hung up on the purity of ones blood. Assholes come in every variety.

"What about your children, they'll be half black will your family accept and love them too?"

I have never been particularly good at hiding my facial expression, today is no exception, her father must see the anger on my face because he says.

"I know you're thinking how do I have the audacity, but I've been out of Angelina's life too long, and I can't be worried about sparing you feelings I've got to know that she's happy, that's she's really happy after I put her through."

"She is happy she has good days and bad, she was a lot happier before her mum wrote that stupid interview."

"I don't think Amelia hates Angelina, I think she hates herself for hating Angelina."

Funny I drew the exact same conclusion. I think.

"So what is it that you do again?" Her father asks

"I own a joke shop, two of them actually, but the other isn't opening until the 1st of September."

"So you plan on running these joke shops for the rest of your life?"

"Yes that's what I intend to do"

"Have you anything else to fall back on?"

"I won't need it the shop is very successful." I say.

"Things change if one of your children is a squib like me, how would they make it in the Muggle world with no Muggle money."

'They'd stay with us magic or not, _I'd _never give my child away."

Angelina's father gives a dry chuckle. "You think it's that easy hun? Do you have any ideal how hard it is for a Muggle in an all Wizarding world?"

"No I don't have any ideal, but it's still no excuse for abandoning your daughter."

"No it isn't, but I'm back in Angelina's life now and I'm trying, you might not like me, but I'm not going anywhere this time."

"I never said I didn't like you."

"Oh it's written all over your face young man, but I suppose that I can't blame you. If I was in your position I probably wouldn't like me very much either"

"I see where Angelina gets her brutal honesty from." I say.

"I see no point in pretending the situation is something it isn't" Angelina father says. "I know I've got a long way to go to get back in Angelina's graces, and the graces of those in her life."

"It's all done." Angelina says coming back into the living room. "Shall we eat?"

We dutifully follow Angelina into the kitchen.

"Smells wonderful." Her father says, though I suspect he'd say that if it smelt like a steaming pile of shit.

We sit around the table busing ourselves with putting napkins in our laps and scooting ourselves in. There's an awkward pause in which we all sit forks in hand poised in mid air.

"Well tuck in I didn't cook this for you two to stare at." Angelina says and we laugh glad someone has broken the tension.

"My compliments to the chef." Her father says kissing his finger tips. Angelina laughs.

"I'm glad you like it."

Seeing them together makes me feel lonely. I'm not used to seeing her with family unless it was my side of the family. Everything has been about me, about my family, I never thought of how lonely Angelina must feel sometimes. During dinner Angelina does most of the talking and she mostly talks to her father. Her father was right when he said I didn't like him, but I don't dislike him, I just haven't known him long enough to form an opinion yet. I still don't know if I trust him.

After diner and after her father's gone home we clear the table. Angelina puts the plate she's holding on the counter and turns around to look at me, she really looks at me. She does it a lot, looking at my face and I wonder if she's looking for Fred, I'd be a bloody fool to think he never crosses her mind when she looks at me.

"What?"

"I've been talking to my dad a lot, and naturally my mum came up, and my dad told me- or rather I forced my dad to tell me how my mum's doing."

"Oh and how is she?"

"She had a breakdown she had to be hospitalised for awhile, it happened before but my dad hid it from me, I remember it now he told me that mum was visiting Elaine.

"Did he say what was wrong with her?" I remember Angelina's father telling me that Angelina's mother wasn't doing well mentally, but I just figured he meant she was just some religious nutter.

"Bipolar that's the Muggle term for it. Now that I think back on it I see it all, I was so blind to it all I thought all families were like mines."

"What do you mean."

"My mum loved me, I know she did, sometimes she did things that made me question her love."

"Like what?"

"There were only a few incidents but I can remember them all."

It's so quite in our kitchen that you could hear a feather drop. No wonder Angelina hasn't been sleeping.

"It's hard for me to tell you, I don't want you feeling sorry for me, I don't want you looking at me differently. I know you think there's something going on between Kinnon and me, but there isn't he's just a good friend, but we aren't attracted to each other, I just talk to him because he's been there."

"Been where?"

"On the wrong side of a bad parent, it's all so confusing, I can't say she was a bad mum not all together, but when she did things wrong they were so wrong"

"Angie."

"I know I'm going to drive myself mad living in the past, and thinking what-if, but ever since my dad came my childhood been playing though my head like a film"

"So tell me about it damn it, I mean_ please_ just tell me."

Angelina laughs at me and then sighs. "OK I'll tell you."


	12. Chapter 12 Through A Pensieve Darkly

A/N: I'm so HAPPY to be back! When I wrote the last chapter I thought my writer's block was gone, but I was wrong it came back and brought some furry friends, so I took a bit of a departure from this story and wrote a very silly poem about Snape and Lily, it didn't help my writers' block. I wrote out this whole chapter and thought the out come was really good, but then out of nowhere BAM!, this ideal hit me and it was so good that I couldn't let it go, so I rewrote this chapter. Writing this squeal has been crazy hard, much harder than writing Stages, but I like a challenge, and I like where I plan on taking this story, so I'm not giving up (so _please_ hang in there). I really want to thank all of you who take the time to review, and make me laugh and never hesitate to tell me what you do or don't like. Also thanks to anyone who favorite/follows my story(ies). As always thanks for reading. Pretty Please review. Hugs and Kisses. XOXOXO

Psyche101- I read your review and actually snorted with laughter…I'm such a dork

ZombieInk- Some people find the whole no skin color prejudice unrealistic, maybe it is, but I still find it refreshing.

xXGred-ForgeXx- Thank You Much XD

fantabulousz- Ha ha I love your reaction! I thought twice about making Angelina's dad so abrasive , but in my head he seems to be one of those boundless types.

**Chapter Twelve**

**Through A Pensieve**** Darkly**

_Forget where to begin_

_Mother, _

_I have not sinned_

_I have not _

**Born Again- Starsalior**

"Are you ready?" I ask George and he nods. I point my wand to my head and pull out a few long slivery like threads and put them into the pensive, the memories swirl around the rune carved bowl like quicksilver. The kitchen has been cleaned, the dishes put away, and the leftovers taken care of. Now George and I are standing side by side holding hands and looking into our pensive.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" George asks.

Instead of telling George about my childhood I thought I'd show him, and show myself, because the pensive show you things as they were, not as you think they were, it isn't a diary it shows only truth.

"I think I need to." I say. I squeeze George's hand, and we look into the pensive and are launched into one of my earliest childhood memories.

"Aww look at you, damn if you weren't a cute kid." George says.

We are in my kitchen ,Rock of Ages is playing on the radio, the windows are open and the smell of baking cookies wafts out. In the background I hear familiar sounds, Muggle sounds, the sounds of summer. The neighbour's sprinkler, the roar of a lawn mower, and a barking dog. I'm wearing a pink dress, and white pink sock with matching ribbons in my hair. I was happy because my mum had brought me my first pair of patent leather Mary-Jane's. I'm only six in this memory, and my mum and I are baking cookies for the church bake sale.

My mom takes fresh baked cookies from the oven and places them on the cooling rack. The cookies are shaped like doves, or crosses or hands in an attitude of prayer.

"Don't touch those cookies they aren't done cooling yet." My mother says.

I can remember wanting to touch that dove cookie, it was so pretty and it smelled so fresh. I had help make those cookie from scratch and had pressed the dove into it's shape. I had to touch it because I couldn't believe I'd made something that was so pretty

"Angelina Nicole Johnson!" My mothers voice cuts through my thoughts.

Six-year-old pensive me had reached out for the dove cookie, but it was too hot and so I dropped it. The cookie lies crumbled on the floor.

"Look what you did I only just cleaned that floor!" My mum grabs me pulls my dress up and yanks down my frilly knickers and swats me with a wooden cooking spoon five times across the bottom. "Go to your room, and no dinner for you tonight." The memory swirls and now six-year-old me is lying on my bed trying to stop from crying. I've taken off my pretty pink dress knowing I won't be allowed to go to the church bake sale for having been naughty.

I don't get dinner either, but I hear my parents outside of my door arguing about it.

"Don't you think you're punishing her a little too harshly?"

"No, if we don't stop her at this age from back chat and her direct disobedience, what she'll be like as a teenager. To obey your parents is a command from God."

"I know that." Her father was saying. "She's only six Amelia."

"Why don't you ever support me?" My mother whinges. "I try so hard to be a good Christian wife and a good mother, but all you do is fine fault." My mother starts sobbing and I felt even worse because it was my naughtiness that had made my mother cry.

The memory swirls away and a new one forms. I'm seven, and I'm in my parents bedroom. I'm dressed in my school uniform.

"Mummy wake up!" I shake my mother's shoulder. It is clear form the urgency in my voice that my mum should have been up ages ago. All the shades in the room are drawn and the lights are off. "I have to go to school!"

"Go away." My mum says her voice dull and flat.

"Mummy please you have to take me to school!" I cry but she doesn't move. I turn on her bed side light and she turns it off again.

"I can't take you Angelina, not today."

"Then get up for your breakfast Mummy, you haven't eaten any breakfast today and you didn't eat your dinner last night."

"Go away Angelina, _please _just I just want to be alone."

Seven year old Angelina doesn't know what to do so she stays by her mum's side, sitting on the floor hugging her arms around her knees and rocking back and forth.

George tightens the grip on my hand, I wonder what he's thinking he's been quite for quiet for awhile now.

Finally I get up and go into the kitchen, I push my little stool I used to help my mum bake with over to the phone and call my dad.

The memory swirls and I'm sitting in the living room.

"Your mum went to visit her auntie, that's why she been so sad the last few days because she miss Elaine."

"She hasn't take a shower in days, she won't eat , I say, and she told me to go away." My voice wobbles.

"She didn't mean it, the room was so dark and mummy got confused and thought it was night"

I don't believe him, not really, but at seven I don't have the logic to dispute him and so I accept it.

The scene changes again, I'm eight outside in front of my house jumping rope on the side walk.

"Your mum is mental." A mean looking boy with dark hair says. He's clutching some sort of action figure in his hand. He stands in front of me arms across his chest leering down at me. He's two years older than me. His name is David Price and he lives across the street.

I stop skipping rope and shout "Is not!"

"She carries the bible all the time, and won't go in other people houses." He says ticking things off on his finger as if he's going over some list he wrote of all the things wrong with my mum.

"So!" Shout unable to come up with a good comeback. Other children in the neighbourhood gathering around now keen to hear what we're screaming about.

"Everyone knows your mum didn't have an accident with her razor she tried to off herself." He says. "She did cos she can't stand you!" He says and laughs and the children behind him all laugh too.

Only two days ago the ambulance came to my house after my mum hand slipped while using the razor blade in the bathtub. Even at eight I knew it wasn't the truth, how does one cut their wrist when shaving their legs?

"Shut up David!" I scream swinging the rope forward as hard as I can. The wooden handles hit David in the nose and it starts to bleed. David howls, and the rest of the kids scatter, but I stay frozen to the spot.

The memory fades and is replaced by a new one.

I'm at in the Headmaster office at my primary school. I sit upright in a chair behind his desk, my hands are folded in my lap and my head is down. I swing my legs in a distracted way.

"Angelina I want you to explain those bruises Mrs. Frost saw on your back."

"I fell into the wall." I say

The Headmaster gives me a knowing look.. "Angelina I don't think that's how you got those bruises at all."

"He's right." I say to George. "The bruises came from the end of a metal belt buckle she hit me with."

"I fell into a wall." Repeats pensieve me. I can hear denial in my voice, I hate having to see George see me lie, I hate that I lied now, and I hated lying then.

I shake my head "It was so demoralizing, I say to George, but the worse thing was my mum wasn't like that all of the time, or even most of the time, believe or not she didn't get angry often, but when she did it was like she was two different people. I mean she totally lost her rag, but none of it made me forget all the good things my mum did, I'd just get down on my knees and pray things would return to normal."

"That bitch!" George says. "I can't believe you've been keeping this all in."

The scene changes once again. Just like a kaleidoscope of my life

I'm in my parents car traveling back from school. There is a tension so thick in the car that you could cut it with a knife.

"How could you Angelina?" My mother asks. "How could you air our dirty laundry like that, the things your teaches said about me, the lies!"

"I didn't say anything, it was Mrs. Frost." I say from the back seat. "I didn't want to see the Headmaster she made me."

"Well I don't want you going to a school that allows the staff to over step their bounds and engage in idle gossip." My mum huffs, she actually huffs. "She suggested we go into family therapy." My mother says as my father stops at a red light. "Can you believe that?" Her mother sniffs. "As if I would talk about my family to some perfect stranger." She turns to face me in the backseat. "Not a word Angelina, do you hear me, what goes on in our home is our business, not a word to anyone else."

Another memory unfolds, I'm nine in this one.

I knock a cup of tea over on the carpet.

"Oh damn." I say.

"What did you say?" My mother asks.

"N-nothing." stammers my nine-year-old self.

"Get up and go to the bathroom."

The scene dissolves and now George and I are standing in the bathroom. Pensieve me is standing over the sink I hand my tooth brush in my hands, and my mum who is standing right beside me has a bottle of bleach.

My mum dips my toothbrush in the bleach.

"We'll just clean the bad words right out of your dirty little mouth, now brush!"

"It will burn, and I'll-"

"I SAID BRUSH YOUR TEETH NOT BACK CHAT!"

I feel enraged as I watch my nine-year-old self brush her teeth with the bleach soaked toothbrush. I want that time back, I want to stand up to her, maker her bush her teeth with that toothbrush. I'm even more angry when I become sick all over myself.

"You can wear those clothes all day, and maybe you'll think twice before swearing."

"She made you wear clothes covered in sick?" George asks as the memory fades away. He sounds absolutely disgusted.

"Yeah but then my dad got sick at the dinner table smelling it, and my mum had to clean it up." I say laughing.

George looks at me appalled. "Angie how can you laugh about it?"

"What else is there to do?" I want to stop seeing my past through George's eyes he makes me think it was worse than I perceived it to be. I didn't get to hang out much with other people so I feel like I have no proper gauge on just how screwed things were. To George seeing my childhood must seem like a horror film, but to me it was how I was raised.

The memory shifts to ten year old me. My parents are dropping me off at a pizza parlor. George and I follow my family out of the car and into the pizza parlor. Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance is blaring from the radio. The parlor is decorated with pink purple, and white balloons and streamers, there's a stack of presents piled up on one of the tables, and pizza and snack food on another. Everyone is dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts, I'm the only one in a formal party dress.

Some of the parents are helping with the food, others are near the back having some beers.

I give my friend Kayla her present. She's one of the few friends I'm allowed to have.

"Come on we're leaving" My mum says grabbing me by the wrist as soon as I had the present over.

"Is something wrong?" Kayla's mother asks, she hadn't been drinking like some of the other parents, she had been pouring punch into plastic cups. A few other mothers are cutting up cake.

'There are boys and alcohol at this party." My mum says. "No one informed me that there would be boys and alcohol at this party."

"Well we certainly aren't serving the alcohol to the children, Kayla's mother says, and the boys at this party are the same ones Angelina goes to school with."

"Angelina is a fine Christian young woman, I don't allow her to cavort around with boys."

"No one here is cavorting." Kayla's mother says her voice becoming loud and angry. "There are just children here having a good time, which you are running, also I think you're embarrassing your daughter."

My mum starts shouting as she drags a crying ten-year-old me out of the pizza parlor.

"My daughter should be embarrassed to hang out with you lot, You fornicators, you covetous idolators!" She turns to point at all of them.

Everyone in the place has stopped whatever it is their doing to look at my mum and me. Kayla steps away from my present as if it's a ticking time bomb. Someone has turn off the radio so uncomfortable silence is all that you hear.

Funny that nothing magic happened then when I'd been wishing so desperately that I could disappear. George and I follow my mother out of the door of the pizza parlor and she is still quoting the bible at them. "You railers, drunkards, and extortioners, with such ones we will not to eat!"

The memory fades and another comes. I grip George tighter and wonder why I put this memory in the pensieve at all. I've tried (unsuccessfully) to forget all about this day. The worst day in my life. I close my eyes, but it doesn't matter I'm _in_ the memory now and there is no escaping it.

I open my eyes and eleven-year-old me is in my living room. I'm wearing my candy cane dressing gown. My mother face is screwed up like a storm cloud and mines is screwed up in angry defiance.

"I'm going to be in that ballet, you can't stop me." I Shout.

"You will not, now go upstairs and pray this instant young lady." My mum shouts back.

I can't watch this scene again can't be back in this room again, so instead I watch George's face. I've told him the story, but I guess seeing it is another thing.

"You're so mean I _hate_ you!" I yell pointing at her, and her dressing gown burst into flames.

"Devil child!" My mum yells her eyes twice their normal size. "Evil child!" I burst into tears and run upstairs to my room. Now we are both in my room looking at pensieve me standing by my door. "I'm bad, I'm bad ,I'm an evil wicked girl." I slide down the door and start sobbing harder. Downstairs my mum is still screaming. I start praying. Neither George or I can hear what I'm praying about, because it's a silent prayer.

After my prayer I go to my bed and lie down in the foetal position.

The door opens and I pop up on my bed. "Daddy I didn't mean to, I don't know how I did it." I say. "Is mum all right?"

"She'll be fine, she doesn't need to go to casualty."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt mum." I sob.

"I know you didn't, you couldn't help it you're a witch."

"I'm not! Witches aren't real daddy, you told me so."

I want to leave, I want don't want to hear this, I don't want to see this, I don't want to relive this moment.

"I lied to you, magic is real and so are witches, and you were born a witch."

"NO!" I shout getting off the bed. "You told me magic wasn't real, you and mum said it was bad."

"You can't stay here any longer, you need to go to a special school for children like you."

"Is it because I'm bad, I won't be a witch any more."

"This letter came for you, it didn't come by post it came by owl where you're going that's how the post gets delivered."

"Please daddy I want to stay here with you and mum."

"The letter is from Hogwarts that's the name of the school you'll be going to, they've accepted you, see."

"You're giving me away?" I choke. "Don't you love me anymore. Don't you want me?"

"I didn't have magic and your grandparents gave me away, it's just the way things are done." My dad says "I'll help you pack." I feel angry at my father all over again watching him help me pack, how could he have been so callous? He knew how much it hurt when his parents sent him away, and yet he did it to me.

It takes awhile for either of us to say anything when we leave the pensieve. We both lie on the bed. George holds my hands up to his comparing the size, something he likes doing, but hasn't done in awhile because it's been a while since we've been this close. George pulls me closer to him. I indulge in our closeness, his warmth ,the smell of him, and the feel of his skin. He tucks one of my braids that have escaped my ponytail behind my ears, and kisses me softly on the lips. "I'm sorry Angie I had no ideal."

"It's not all your fault, it's hard for me to open or ask help from anyone, even my own husband."

"I can take it Angie really, don't think you have to hide your feelings to protect me. I'm stronger than I look."

"I know you are, and that's why at the end of this year I think we should start trying to make a family, I was too scared to before because-."

"I know you don't think I'm ready to be a father, but Angie-

"I was scared because I was afraid that _I _wouldn't be a good mother, not that you'd be a bad father." I say cutting George off. "You'll be more than an excellent father."

"You'll be the best mother." George says. "You're nothing like her Angie, you never have been."

'I know that now." I say. "I think I wanted- no I need to be able to believe for a long time that the reason my mother isn't able to love me is because I'm a witch, and because of what I did to her, that's easier than accepting the truth."

"What's the truth?"

"My mum is royally screwed up."

George laughs but I'm not joking.

"I'm serious, she's got a lot of issues my mum, but she refuses to deal with them, she can't love me because she doesn't love herself. I stop and smile at George. "You were trying to tell me that, but I just wouldn't listen."

"Well you've always had a rather thick skull."

"Says the beater."

"You really think were ready to be parents?" George asks.

"I do, I've been thinking about it, we'll have loads of people to help us, and I can take our baby to school with."

"Or I could take him to the shop."

"Great we'll have the first toddler who knows how to blow things up without a wand."

"Well at least you won't be shocked when it happens."

We are both silent for a moment, lost in thoughts of what our child will look like.

"Er, Angie I have an ideal." George says.

I'm almost too afraid to ask.


	13. Chapter 13 Playing House

A/N: ! I think I've finally got my pacing down for this story, so hopefully I can update more frequently. Stages is already a bit longer than I planned it to be, so I might make this into three stories instead of two. Thanks for the encouragement it _really _does help out when writer's block gets the best of me. I can't believe you guys read all my rambling author's notes you guys are the best. As always thanks for reading. Pretty Please review. Hugs and Kisses. XOXOXO

**xXGred-ForgeXx **- I wasn't going to do an cliffy, though this one isn't evil, but I just couldn't resist Merlin help me.

**adp1222 - **Thanks, I really do think the writer's block is gone, because I've been typing up a storm lately. Glad you liked it.

**Psyche101-** Thank so very much, also you're my 50th review ( noise makers confetti) for this story yay! I don't know why but I'm so happy to get fifty reviews**. **

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Playing House **

_To really love a womanLet her hold you - _

_Till you know how she needs to be touched_

_You've gotta breathe her - really taste her_

_Till you can feel her in your blood_

_An' when you can see your unborn children in her eyes_

_You know you really love a woman_

**Have you ever really loved a woman-Bryan Adams**

"You two are volunteering to baby-sit Victoire?" Bill asks his red eyebrow arched comically high.

"Yeah, you and Fleur have been wanting to go to Paris, so go, Angie and I will take care of things here."

"Why the sudden act of kindness?"

"Angelina and I want to see what being parents will be like." It's Friday, two days after we went into Angelina's memories, I'm standing in Bill's kitchen at Shell Cottage. Fleur has been keen for awhile to Paris on a skiing trip with some of her old Beauxbaton friends. I thought if Angie and I volunteered to watch Victoire we could get in some parental training, and all of us could have a little getaway.

Bill smiles. "So you and Angelina are trying for a baby, mum will be beside herself."

"Look don't go telling the family, you know how they can get, Angie doesn't want to start trying until the end of year."

"She'll be a good mum, Angelina."

"Damn straight she will, so you'll trust us, you'll let us look after Victoire?"

"I'll have to run it by Fleur, but sure why not, just know that I trust Angelina more with Victoire than you."

"William Arthur Weasley I am deeply hurt."

"Yeah, well she wouldn't transform Victoire into a grindylow."

"Shows how much you know Transfiguration was Angelina's best subject."

Bill studies me for a moment. "I won't lie to you George being a father is hard, and I don't think I've stopped worrying about Victoire since the day I found out Fleur was pregnant with her, but I've never loved anyone more."

It's weird I never really thought of Bill being a father, or at least not in the same way I see my dad as a father. He is though. He's a very good father.

It doesn't take Bill very long to convince Fleur to go to Paris, not that she doesn't lecture us extensively about how to care for her daughter. She drags Angelina into Victorie's nursery phleming all the way.

"I'm scared to start a family." I admit to Bill as soon as Fleur and Angelina leave the room. "I've always wanted to be a dad, I never told Fred cos I knew he'd take the piss, but with dad being so great and all, but what if I completely screw up?"

"Don't worry, you'll be a wonderful father George, and I'm really proud of you. Fred would be proud of you too"

'Thanks." I say gruffly. I'm glad that Bill has stopped looking at me with disgust in his eyes. It really hurt to see him look at me that way. It's been awhile since I've been in his place, since he's wanted me to come round to his place.

Angelina and Fleur come into the kitchen, Fleur is holding her daughter and tickling her cheeks. Victoire laughs and laughs "Don't forget to support her 'ead, Fleur is saying, and she only likes her lullabies in French."

Angelina just nods.

I've made all of 'er food because I want it made zee right way, so don't bother to make any yourself, and I laid out her clothes because I do not weesh her to dress funny" She gives Victoire kisses all over her face. "Be good for mama, she turns to Bill, come say goodbye."

"Be a good bebe for your auntie, but give your uncle hell" Bill says and kisses her hands.

Angelina laughs.

"Traitor."

"Don't forget you can owl, floo, portkey or fly over if anything goes wrong." Fleur says.

"We won't." Angelina and I say in unison.

"Maybe I should go over everyzing again." Fleur says.

"Don't worry I've asked my mum to look in on them."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." I say.

"I know you'll do fine, but if you have questions mum can answer them."

Fleur hands Victoire over to Angelina. "Mama loves you." She says and she and Bill give their daughter one last kiss before disapparating.

"Wait for it." I say and a few seconds later there is a distinctive pop, Bill and Fleur come back two more times before finally, actually, really leaving for Paris.

Once Bill and Fleur are really gone I wait for Victoire to start crying, but instead she pulls on one of Angelina's braids.

"Hello gorgeous." Angelina says to her.

"So what do we do now?" I ask.

"Well since it's so pretty here I thought I'd make a picnic lunch and we can take Victoire out for a walk and explore.

She hands Victoire to me and she blows me a raspberry.

"Well hello to you too." I say.

Angelina starts to make our picnic lunch while I gently toss Victoire into the air.

"Er, George you'll want to be careful."

"It's all right she's half Weasley."

"That's not what I meant."

I'm feeling carefree so I toss her again and she vomits on me.

"Arrgh!" I grab a tea towel and wipe my face.

"I tired telling you."

"Bill told you to do that didn't he." I say to Victoire.

Angelina starts to pack the picnic basket. "We should enjoy all this freedom and solitude while we can, with school and the shop things are about to get hectic"

I pick up the picnic basket and hand Victoire back to Angelina.

"I know but it will be a good kind of hectic."

"I feel ready for all of this now." Angelina says. She conjures a hat for Victoire and puts it on her head, and then cast a spell to protect her fair skin from the sun. Things I would have never thought of, she probably picked these things up when I was in rehab in Scotland. How she could ever think she'd turn out to be like her mum is beyond me.

It's windy out, but it's also warm out so it isn't bad really. Angelina is right it really is beautiful here at Shell Cottage with the sound of the surf crashing in our ear and the smell of the sea. Victories' eyes are trained on the seagulls above calling out shrilly to one another. I throw a piece of bread up and seagull swoops down out of mid air to gobble it up, Victoire squeals with delight.

We walk along hand in hand until we find a nice spot. I conjure a blanket and spread out on the sand, and then I conjure a beach umbrella. Angelina sits down with Victoire, waving her wand at the picnic basket and it begins to unpack it's contents. She digs her feet into the sand and then lets it sift out between her toes.

"Look at these chubby little legs, she's so cute I could just eat her up."

I enjoy seeing Angelina with Victoire, I don't often get to see her soft side, she's too worried about being tough and pretending nothing bothers her. The two of us are so much alike that sometimes it's scary. Two stubborn hot heads who don't know when to back down. It's why we're married I think, who else would put up with our shite?

I close my eyes and lie down on the blanket.

"Would you look at that Victoire, Georgie's taking a nap before you are, how sad."

"I'm not napping I'm just looking at the backs of my eyelids." I say without opening my eyes.

"Victoire can you say liar?"

"Turning the baby against me, Angelina how could you?" I say sitting up. "Can you believe that woman?" I ask Victoire

Victoire doesn't answer because Angelina is feeding her a bottle.

"What?" Angelina says when I stare at her too long.

"Nothing, it's just I've never seen you with a baby before now, not like this."

"I was around babies before this."

"You're so good with her and she trust you."

"Bill and Fleur let me look after her a lot when you were in rehab, I think they knew I need someone." She looks down at her face. "I remember the day she was born she was so small and now look at her, time goes by so fast"

"This new generation, we've got to make life good for them, they can't grow up like we had to, I mean we have a chance now to do things differently." I feel so old being around someone so young, Victorie's whole entire life is ahead of her, and one day my son or daughter's whole entire life will be ahead of them the thought is mind blowing.

Angelina and didn't do much today, but walk around and show Victoire things like crabs and shells, ate lunch, but it was one of the best times in my life. As we put Victoire down for a nap we watched her sleep marveling at how beautiful she is and how she looks like both her parents.

"She's so tiny can you even imagine?" Angelina says softly.

"Yeah I can, she'd have big brown eyes and brown skin and curly back hair."

"Or curly red hair." Angelina says, she half Weasley after all."

"I almost feel guilty for leaving her." Angelina says once we're in the guest room.

"Kitten she's only down the hall."

"I know but she's so little and helpless."

"She's going to be fine, we've got the wireless tuned in on her station it's ok."

"It wasn't too weird for you was it, going into my memories?" Angelina ask me suddenly.

"Not weird, but I wasn't expecting what I saw, I don't know what I was expecting actually."

"It was a bit weird for me, but I feel settled now. Like I've finally really forgiven myself for who I was back then."

"You did what you had to in order to get through that situation and you're right you shouldn't feel guilty."

"Once we have children I feel like everything will have come full circle, I'm finally part of a family, and then we'll have our own"

"Our little family is going to have a lot of love." I take her by the hand and we go back into Victoire's room so that we can check she's ok.

Angelina giggles as soon as we're back in bed. "You know me too well." She snuggles closer to me. "I wonder how Bill and Fleur are getting any sleep they must be out of their minds worrying about her."

"They know she's in good hands, besides mum stopped by and owled them that everything is all right."

"You always know how to make things quite in here." She says pointing to her temple. She softly strokes where my ear used to be. I blush, I always do when she touches the scar she's never once looked at it with disgust, she said it was the mark of a hero. It's the best complement I've gotten.

"I don't know how you find the strength to be here for me when you've been through so much yourself."

"That's what I was just thinking about you." I say.

"Merlin are we sappy." Angelina says.

"I think after all we've been through we're allowed to be sappy."

"We're allowed to be happy too." She says and then I feel her lips on mines. It's only a soft kiss, but I let out a moan because it's been so long. The only thing that separates me from her body is the thin fabric of her nightgown. She arches up to kiss me again rolling her tongue into my mouth and capturing my tongue and caressing it, her mouth is so wet and hot. She grazes her nails along the nape of my neck and my whole body shivers at the sensation.

I squeeze her arse through the thin fabric giving her a good smack, and loving the way my hand bounces off her firm bottom. I squeeze her hips and grind myself into her letting her feel my erection, letting her feel how much I want her.

"Sorry I've been neglecting your beautiful body, but let me make up for it." She says. She slides her hands into my pajama bottoms finds my cock and starts slowly stroking it.

I let out a guttural moan as I feel my self growing even harder in her hand. She strokes the head of my cock, and then cups my balls. I watch hypnotized as she pulls me from my pajama bottoms her head tilts down and her pink tongue snakes out to give me slow circular licks the length of his shaft. My cock twitches and my stomach tightens it feels like my first time getting head.

"Do you like that?" She asks.

"Oh my damn yes." My face screws up. She looks straight into my eyes, and then lowers her mouth over me, taking all of me in, and I nearly come right there. Her head bobs up and down along my shaft and her breast jiggle with the effort to get me off, her bum pointed teasingly high in the air. I clutch at the sheets wondering if I'll survive this, if not it's a wonderful way to go. Angelina's mouth tightens around me pulling me in towards the back of her throat. I feel myself straining I'm about to come.

"Fuck, Angie."

She frees me from her mouth with a wet popping sound. "Is that what you want to do?" She ask in a husky voice wrapped in silk. "Do you want to fuck me George?"

"More than I want air." I tell her and slide her nightgown off her body and throw it to the floor. She isn't wearing any knickers, but they would have just gotten in the way. I will my horny mind to go slowly, but it's been so long I can hardly think straight. I think of Umbridge giving me a lap dance, Ron's crusty toenails, and great auntie Muriel naked, yuck, remind me to never think of that again.

I run my hands down her long shapely legs. I give her a lusty grin I have always wanted her, I will always want her. I bury my face in between her breast before taking one of her nipples in my mouth and swirling my tongue around it, Angelina squirms delightfully in my arms. I slide one of my fingers into her silky wetness and move slowly and deliberately.

"Oh G-george."

"Do you like that?' I ask teasingly as I slide in another finger.

She doesn't answer she just thrust down on my hand.

I push her hair back and kiss the side of her neck her skin is hot and I feel her blood racing., I give her a small bite feeling like a vampire, like I could devour her as I continue to stroke her.

"Yes, yes, yes." Angelina's moans are all high-pitched and breathy. I start to trail kisses down her toned stomach. Her legs are already shaking and her eyes begin to roll back into her head. I grab her by the hips slide to the edge of bed and throwing her legs over my shoulder. Angelina's hips begin to buck in anticipation of what's to come. I part her, and her clit is nestled inside like an erotic little jewel. Like a prize inside a box of sweets.

I kiss her between the legs and she groans. I slide my tongue in and she screams as I taste her, she taste wonderful to me like a fresh blackberry, there isn't a part on this woman's body that I don't love. Finally I can't hold back any longer, I need to be inside of her. I want to take my time and not be a selfish lover, but as soon as I'm inside her I can feel myself coming undone. She's so tight around me pulling me deep inside, and meeting me stroke for stroke so that I can hold it. I come and a million stars explode in my head as Angelina undulates powerfully around me. I fall on top of her drained and spent as she cries out my name. Our orgasm is so powerful that all we can do is hold on to one another and ride it out like a wave.

"I love you George." Angelina says and moments later I can tell by her heavy breathing that she's sleep.

* * *

><p>"The baby!" Angelina shouts and jerks awake the next morning.<p>

"Don't worry I've got her." I say.

"I heard her crying but for some reason I thought it was part of my dream."

"It's ok she wasn't crying long, she just needed her nappy changed."

Angelina snuggles up to me. "We're going to make, we may have to travel down some bumpy roads, but damn it were going to make it!"

I look at her amused. "You're awfully chipper all of a sudden."

"I just feel so free now, and I really mean it this time, I don't know how you knew George, but I needed this."

"Angie darling I've been watching you for years you think I don't know you by now."

"Remember back in school when Madam Pince would make the two of us sit at different tables whenever we went to library together, because she said we looked like conspirators."

"You're a professor now Angie you can call her Irma."

"No way she still scares me, and she still gives me the stink eye when ever I go into the library."

"Well you did set her books on fire."

"They weren't on fire." Angelina says. "It was a flame illusion charm, she has _no_ sense of humour."

* * *

><p>"No fires, no floods, and we didn't sell your child to goblins." I say to Bill when he and Fleur get back from Paris.<p>

"Victoire!" Cries Fleur how mama missed you so." She sweeps her daughter from Angie's arms and hugs and kisses her. Bill kisses her too his grin nearly splits his face in two.

"Did you miss daddy sweetie?" He asks his daughter

"Thank you both for taking such good care of my child." Fleur says kissing us both on both cheeks. I find myself blushing and Angelina gives me side eye.

"We loved it, you two have such a beautiful home."

"I know I decorated it." Fleur says flipping her long silvery hair. Here's hoping Victoire doesn't pick up any of her mother's arrogance.

"Angelina and I have to be going we've got loads to do before the opening." I say.

"Oh I can 'ardly wait for zee partee." Fleur says clapping her hands together, she of course always goes for a bit of glamour.

"Yeah this opening is getting huge press." Bill says. "I had a job in Brisbane and your new shop was all they could talk about, it was all over their papers too"

"Yeah I never thought people would ever make this big of a deal about a joke shop, I mean Fred and I wanted to do well, but all of this is a bit much."

"People just need something to celebrate- enjoy little brother, you've earned this and then some."

"Bill's right." Angelina says. "George this shop is you and Fred's lifeblood, your sweat and tears. You risked life and limb to get this shop started, and made the dream of owning Zonko's come true, not to mention ruined my Qudditch practice so you'd better enjoy it."

Bill laughs.

"I know when I'm out numbered." I say. We say goodbye again making a fuss over Victoire before disapparating home. Neither of us have time to sit down and relax though, both of us have a million things to do. I have to meet with suppliers, and check one last time that everything is up to code and all the ink is dry on my permits. I've got to meet with the band, and do interviews with about a dozen or so magazines and a million of other things.

Thinking of starting a family with Angie, and one day sharing this with my children keeps me going. I remember how dad would take us to Cannon games and tell us we should support them with all we had, and it shouldn't matter if they're the best in the league or not. It's probably why Ron support so much.

I want it to be that way with our children, I want them to grow up with the feeling that the joke shop is their second home where they can act which ever way they choose, even if they act like Percy who doesn't like pulling jokes. I just hope I can be as half as amazing as my dad was, still is. He's never once turned his back on me, even when I was strung out he still defended me.

Angelina comes along with me to do a few interviews and pose for a couple of magazine covers with me, then she has to go off to Hogwarts. Taffy Younghusband is at it again writing a piece in the _Associated Wizarding Press _calling the Hogsmeade Joke shop hackneyed. His bad press doesn't hurt my feelings at all, but I wonder what his particular problem is, it can't be that he just doesn't like me or that Angelina and I are good tabloid fodder, he's up to something, and I wonder how long it is before I have knock all his teeth out to find out.

I can't be worried about that now, I see Angelina off to Hogwarts and then go to the Hogsmeade joke shop.

"Hi George!" Verity yells as soon as I walk through the door. "They finished the stage today, it's wicked." She pulls me by the arm into the front room and shows me the stage that's been constructed for tonight's performance by Chicanery. "People have been queuing up outside for weeks now."

"Sometimes it hardly feels real you know."

"Yeah I know, it seems like so long ago I started working for you and Fred, my mum told me I was stupid to work at a joke shop, no job security she told me, but shows how much she knows." Verity says with a laugh. "Now she goes around telling her friends her daughter was the first person to be hired on at Wizarding Wheezes."

"You can't imagine the grief Fred and I got for opening a joke shop."

"Your mum seems nice, but I remember when she sent Ron that howler, I wouldn't want to make her cross."

"No you wouldn't." I say.

"I can't wait till the first years to get here, what's a year at Hogwarts without a trip to the joke shop?"

No place I'd want my kids going I think.

* * *

><p>I apparate back to my office in Diagon Alley to work on the last few potions I need to get done before the opening. I'm deep into my work muttering to myself and madly jotting things down when Angelina shows up to my office with lunch. I grin at her it's been a long time since she's brought me lunch and hung out in my office.<p>

"How's it going sweetie?"

"Insane but in a good way."

She sits on my lap taking the quill out of my hand and setting it on the desk.

"Minerva made me Head of Gryffindor." She says.

"Really Angie that's great."

"Well there wasn't any one else, the new transfiguration teacher is Slytherin ."

"Transfiguration taught by a snake parish the thought."

"Potions is being taught by an eagle so things even out." She smiles at me. "I got my dress for the opening, wanna see?"

"You know I do."

"Well you'll just have to wait " She says.

"Little tease."

"You're going to do great tomorrow."

"I can't believe it's finally here, when Fred first died I never thought I could do anything like this without him, but I had to keep it going on for the both of us because no matter what he'll always be a part of me."

"It's funny it doesn't hurt to think of Fred now, it almost feels peaceful like I know he's a rest."

"He is." I say. "The universe wouldn't let Fred be in a bad place."

"I wish he could see our children grow up."

"We'll just have to tell our children what a great guy my brother was."

It's hard to comprehend that my children will never see me as a twin. They will stare at pictures and be marveled at the man in them who looks so much like their dad, but they'll never know just what we were like.

This Sunday we had the family round to dinner at our place. Angelina father is there as well so it's a bit awkward at first. My mum cooked for everyone she keeps popping up from the table fussing over everyone.

"Molly let me serve you." Angelina keeps saying. My father insisted on being sat next to Angelina's father so he could ask him about all things Muggle. I think this may have startled her dad, I mean he's not used to Wizard who are keen about Muggle ways. Ron slops gravy down the front of his shirt and Hermione went on a tirade about his slobbish ways. Bill and Charlie kept flicking peas at each other.

Fleur complains about water spots on the glasses and Angelina shoots her a dirty looking making Ginny smirk and Harry chuckle. Percy is in some deep discussion with Audrey, probably talking about the proper aspects of something.

I smile at Angelina through all the chaos and she smiles back. I could see our children at this table throwing food, charming the salt shakers, and adding to the chaos. There will probably never be the perfect time to have a child, and this isn't the perfect family, but there's never been a better family for a child to be born into. This is the world we fought for and I ready to raise my children in it.


	14. The Duke and Duchess of Hogsmeade

A/N: I'm back no writer's block for me just been busy, I've been really lax when it comes to proofreading and there are some really elementary grammar mistakes in both stories, so I'm looking for a beta, because to be honest I read these chapters over so many times I tend to overlook my mistakes, then when I see them I'm like derp! Anywho I've got a lot planned for this story and I can't wait to write it, hope you'll enjoy reading it. As always thanks for reading. Pretty Please review. Hugs and Kisses. XOXOXO

.com/shop/dresses/viewitem-FA494475 (Angelina's dress and description)

**xXGred-ForgeXx**- I like Bill and Charlie too I feel they never got to show their dynamic as brothers in the books.

**Psyche10**1- If you end up being like my 100th review I'm warning you right now my head would probably explode into sour candy!

**Silver Shiko**- I'd love to give George and Angelina quadruplets, but I'm trying to be as cannon as possible, though I have taken a liberal amount of liberties. I'm trying a trial run with anonymous reviews, because I'll admit I've too been too lazy to log in sometimes and review a story.

**ZombieInk**- Yeah you're back too! Oh scarecrow I've missed you most of all

**Chapter Fourteen**  
><strong>The Duke and Duchess of Hogsmeade<strong>  
><em>I believe the children are our future<em>  
><em>Teach them well and let them lead the way<em>  
><em>Show them all the beauty they possess inside<em>  
><em>Give them a sense of pride to make it easier<em>  
><em>Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be<strong><br>**_**The Greatest Love of All-Whitey Huston**

Hogsmade is now the Bluebell's new home. George had our house magically moved to Hogsmade, he amd Minerva thought it would make things easier for me. Minerva agreed to let our house be directly connected to one of the secret passages so it's almost as good as living at the school. I didn't want to leave England or Ottery , but now that I'm here I have to admit I'm falling in love with the village and it's people.

Molly took the news hard when we told her at Sunday's dinner. We purposely waited until the end dinner to tell her.  
>"Oh George how could you two move to Scotland?" She wailed. "You were my only child left in Ottery."<br>"Come on mum don't cry, George pleaded, we'll be moving back during summers and we'll visit during Holidays I promise."

"Now Molly they've got to live their own life." Arthur said.

"I know but why do they have to live it away from us?"

"If you have kids they'll have like Scottish accents, you know that right?" Ron said

"Ron don't be thick." Bill said.

"You mean thicker than usual." Ginny quipped.

I'm glad no one except Bill and Fleur knew that George and I were trying to start a family, especially Molly she would have lost it.

"Well, Percy began, his eyes were shinning, his chest visibly swelled, and he smiled like he'd just been appointed Minister of Magic, I've got some rather good news."

"Did you get promoted again?" Ron asked around a mouth full of food.

"No Ronald much better, mum, dad, everyone we're pregnant." Percy said.

I choked on my pumpkin juice. I couldn't help it maybe I should have known, but it was the last thing I was expecting to hear from Percy. I thought for sure George and I would be the ones to have the second Weasley grandchild.

"Oh how wonderful!" Molly squealed and jumped up from the table and grabbed Percy up in a bone crushing hug. She hugged and kissed Audrey.

"How far along are you dear?"  
>"Four months, we wanted to be really sure"<p>

"Oh bless my stars two grandbabies."

"We Weasley never do things by half means." Charlie had said rising his glass.  
>Then we were all congratulating Audrey and Percy and toasting to the next generation of Weasleys'.<p>

"Don't worry kitten you'll be next." George told me when everyone had left.  
>"Let's not wait until the end of the year let's try now." I said.<p>

"What?"

"I want our child to raised with Percy and Fleur's." I said kissing George. It didn't take much convincing after that. For the first time in a long time we made love with out the contraceptive charm and whatever happens happens.

Today is September 1st the first day of Hogwarts. George and I have breakfast at the Three Broomsticks. As we walk hand and hand to the pub the villagers wave and call out their hello's to us. The Three Broomsticks won't be the same without Madam Rosmerta, Merlin rest her soul. We get a table near the front windows so that we can look out at the village and all it's going-ons. George and I didn't sleep much last night, instead we stayed up talking excitedly like kids on Christmas Eve

"I still can't believe I'm married to a Professor, do you have any ideal what you've done to my reputation?" George moaned.

Everything felt right again. I'd forgotten how much I liked lying in bed with George and talking about whatever we felt like. Talking in bed made it seem much more luxurious than it was, like it's sole purpose was to comfort us.

"Hey I'm the hot Professor at Hogwarts so I'd say your reputation is doing just fine."

"Who said you were hot? Stan.

"No it was Mrs. Norris actually."

"Furry tart."

"I can't believe it's finally here why aren't you more excited?" I asked George

"I am, really, I'm just missing Fred."

"I'm sorry." I said lying my head on his bare chest. "I should have known."

"It's bittersweet, cos I am happy, but damn it I wish he could see all this, everything I made in that shop I made with him in mind, I could hear his voice at the back of my head prodding me on."

"Everything would be ten times bigger if Fred were doing this." I said. "He'd of tried to get Charlie to wrangle in a dragon or something."

"Actually that's not-"

"Forget it George, anyway Charlie would never agree to do it."  
>"Yeah with my luck it'd eat a first year."<p>

"It's not like people aren't going to have enough to do." I say. "You'll be showing off a new line, giving away prizes, and then there's the band."

"I know I just want people to remember this night as one of the really good ones in their lives."

"They will if you feel it then they'll feel it. More than anyone else's this is your night George."

"No it's our night Professor." George says stubborn as usual.

"That's Professor Weasley to you young man." I snap.

"Ooh put on your Professor's robe and spank me."

I don't know of a couple that has more fun than George and I.

* * *

><p>Our appearance in the Three Broomsticks causes quite a buzz, one that neither George or I was expecting. Children kept running up to George asking him to sign their Wizarding Wheezes products, since the first years normally arrive at night, George is having the opening before the first years board the train, although the opening party will last all day. Muggle parents came up to thank me for trying to make their students feel more at home. It was a very nice feeling to have, it certainly makes the move to Scotland much easier. A reporter for The Daily Prophet stops in for a last minute interview.<p>

"Am I allowed to get a cup of tea or is the Three Broomsticks reserved only for the Duke and Duchess of Hogsmeade." Pansy Parkinson says as she enters the pub, she shoots us a nasty look before focusing her anger back on the new landlord. She speaks loudly to ensure that everyone hears her. She is dressed expensively and her hair looks salon fresh. Her nails are very well manicured she keeps rubbing her baby bump. I suppose she wants all eyes on her and her opulence.

"Of course you may Mrs. Zabini." Says the harried landlord.  
>The reporter smiles. "Duke and Duchess I like that it suit's the two of you" He jots something down in his notes and Pansy looks absolutely livid. I smile sweetly at her. I don't know why she's always had it in for me, but now that we're out of school I find it sad that she still carries on with her pettiness. Not that it really matters nothing she can do can bring me down today. Today is our day. I lean over and kiss George so proud of him I could burst.<p>

I can remember during the war all the boarded up shops and the scared shop owners wondering if they'd be the next to be carted off in the night never to been seen again. That feeling stuck with Hogsmade for a long time, and it lost a lot of it's Christmas card appeal and that hurt it's economy, but Wizarding Wheezes is helping to turn things around by bringing people back to Hogsmeade, back where everything began for Fred and George.

* * *

><p>I hold the lantern steady as the boats with the first years comes bobbing along. It's the oddest feeling being on the other side of things. I remember our first year Alicia and I had screamed the whole boat ride because the boys tried to tip us into the lake.<p>

"Once you fall in you'll get eaten up by the moat monster." Fred said in a spooky voice and added an evil laughs. "It likes eating girls."

None of the first years are screaming, but all of them are talking excitedly probably still sugared up from their Hogsmeade joke shop trip. Stan is out on the lawn with me ready to help me greet the students. "First years follow me please." I call loudly once Stan has helped all of them out of the boats. "I'm Professor Weasley, head of Gryffindor house and the new Muggles studies teacher."

The first years are now following me into the dinning hall, where Professor Flitwick will now conduct the sorting hard ceremonies. Even the first years tower over him, but he walks with the command and presence of a man ten times his height. It was a shock how young and small all of the first years looked to me. I wonder if we looked so young and small when we first came to Hogwarts. It's hitting me, really hitting me that I was a Professor and I'll be in charge of these children. Children who have all brought items from my husband's joke shop to use against me. I don't think gulp is a strong enough reaction.

The first years form a queue waiting for Flitwick to call their names and sort them into their houses. The first student Alice Abbot is made a Slytherin. The Slytherin table cheers for it's newest and Alice goes to take her seat. The first Gryffindor is Alec Addison. He's a skinny boy with a mop of curly brown hair that covers his eyes. He trips twice on the way to the Gryffindor table. It feels weird not to hear the name Weasley called, but that soon will change. One day my child will walk through these doors and down the aisle to put the sorting had on their head, and what ever house they get sorted into I will love them.  
>After the last student, Yancy Zull, is made a Ravenclaw McGonagall begins her speech from the Professor's table. It's odd to see McGonagall at the head of the table instead of Dumbledore. How different the first years Hogwart's experience will be from what I knew. No Snape, no Sprout, no Burbage There will also be no threat of Voldemort hanging over their head.<p>

Headmistress McGonagall's speech is so much different from Dumbledore's. Hers is much more concise, and her tone suggest there is little that will get by her. Still she ends it with her gracious smile claps her hands and the feast appears on the table before the oddest perspective of all is to view the student's dinning tables at Hogwarts from the Professor's table. I look at my own plate before me and tuck in. I watch the first years as I eat. A lot of them look up the enchanted ceiling, the Bloody Baron pass through a girl and makes her cry until a prefect comforts her. Others are staring up at the professor table and checking us out. When dinner is over the first years begin their sleepy march up their dorms where they'll from friendships or rivalries that are likely to last them all of their lives.

My first class of the day is with Ravenclaw and Slytherin.  
>"Good morning class." I say to the students once they've all filed into the classroom.<p>

"Good morning Professor Weasley." Chorus back the first years all looking at me curiously standing by their seats.  
>"Please be seated, and if you brought quills and parchment please put them away we won't be using them ever in this class."<p>

There is a cheer among my students and a flurry as activity as they put their things away.  
>"In stead we'll be using pen and paper like Muggles do." There's a few groans around the class I'm guessing those are Muggle children. "Also wands away, we won't be using them in here." More groans. I get up and pass out paper and pens, since this is Muggle studies I won't be using magic.<p>

"This classroom, I begin once I'm at the front of the class, is different from all the other classrooms in Hogwarts does anyone know why?"

An eager hand shoots up fingers waving. She reminds me of Hermione. "Yes Miss Holcomb." I have each classes sitting chart memorised.

"You can use electricity in this class room, I read all about it in _The Daily Prophet_ over the summer. Normally you can't because Hogwart's magic makes electricity go haywire"

"That's correct ten points to Ravenclaw for Emily's answer."

"I think it's stupid." Says a haughty voice towards the back of the class room, I don't think we should be forced to learn Muggle ways it's degrading."

"Excuse me Mr. Parkinson , but unless I give expressly give you permission to speak please do not." My firm tone of voice even shocks myself, but I wasn't taught by McGonagall for eleven years with out picking up a thing or two. Patrick Parkinson shoots me a dirty look as he slinks down in his seat. He's a Slytherin and I wonder if he's related to Pansy, wouldn't it be just my luck.

"I want all of you to listen to me now, If there is one thing I will not tolerate in this class is any disparaging remarks about Half-bloods, Muggles or Muggle born. Do I make myself very clear?" I ask arching an eyebrow for effect.

"Yes Professor Weasley." chorus the class.  
>Patrick raises his hand<p>

"Yes Mr. Parkinson?"

"What about disparaging marks about Pure-Bloods?" Patrick asks.

"I won't tolerate those either." I look the class over to make sure they know that I'm completely serious about this.

"Now, I begin, in parchment I sent out about this class over the summer I asked you to bring in your favourite thing, I want all of you to tell the class your name, where you're from, what your favourite thing is, and why it's your favourite thing." I give the students a second to process what I said.

A lot of students bring up their quaffles or their brooms. Some bring in Muggle items like their cd players or their skateboards. Patrick Parkinson brings in an old copy of Qudditch Quarterly's swimsuit edition in which I'm the centerfold. I'm frolicking in the snow in a fur bikini and a pair of fur boots throwing up a pile of snow in the air. I shot that photo right after I'd won the world cup, it really was the most ridiculous photo shoot, but at the time I was convinced it was sheer brilliance. I could smack the Patrick right in his smug little face for this, I'll bet the cow Pansy put him up to it.

I snatch the magazine from his hand. "This isn't appropriate material for class." I tell him.

"Why not you posed for it Professor Weasley."

The class gaps and then grows quite waiting for my response.

"Ten points from Slytherin for talking out of turn, I say, Yes Mr. Parkinson I did pose for that picture, I've also won a World Cup, fought in the battle of Hogwarts I suggest you remember that next time you try and pull a prank at my expense." The remainder of the class goes smoothly. The students have fun with some of the Muggle items brought in, they all want to have a go on the skateboard, after a Raveclawn student show of his "wicked" tricks. Another student brings in a karaoke machine and everyone wants to sing. Patrick's disruptions are pretty much forgotten, but I know I haven't heard the last from him a lot of Slytheirn that looked as if they agreed with him and some Ravenclaws too, I could tell they thought learning about Muggles was beneath them. Their apathy doesn't dampen the others student excitement though, and while Flying, Defense against the Dark Arts, and Charms remain the favourite classes, using pens and paper have gotten several students excited enough to chat about it with Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students and their curiosity for my class has been stirred.

In the Professor's lounge I relate the story of Patrick to Kinnon and Neville.

"I remember that little fur bikini, very good issue that was."

"Focus Kinnon." I say.

"Right-O, I say string the little bastard up by his big toes and beat him like a pinata."

"I'm sure we could get Flich to do it." Neville says.

"Oh I've been meaning to tell you, Eaun loved the joke shop it's the best thing to happen to him in a long time" Kinnon says. "I end up spending loads on him, but it was worth it see him smile again."

"I'm glad it made him happy, I'll have to tell George making people smile is the whole reason behind what he does."

"Yeah, one of my students tried using a puking pastille, I think they forget we went to school with the inventor of those sweets. Neville says. "I gave him the antidote."

"I told Eaun not to use any product on the professors, but I'd be disappointed if he didn't use at least one on Flich." Kinnon says with a smile.

Hufflepuff and Gryffindor are my next class, and though I don't want to be bias I can't help but be excited to see all the first year Gryffindor's filing through the door. The students seem just excited to seem me as I am to see them. My second class goes much more smoothly, some have even brought in joke shop items a their favourite things. I can't help but notice there are some in the class who look bored just like students in the class before. They think Muggles Studies is beyond them and their time. I suppose I have my work cut out for me, but I knew going into this that it would be an up hill battle.

At the end school day I feel proud of myself my first day wasn't perfect, but it got the students talking and got ball rolling and that's why I wanted to teach Muggle studies in the first place. No child should have to feel the way my father did.

I hurry home to change for the ongoing party at the new joke shop. My dress is a red and strapless with a sweetheart neckline. The skit is a floor length A-line with a side slit and a fly away train. It takes me half the time to get ready as I normally do since George isn't here to distract me by pulling down my zipper and trying to get in my knickers like he usually does. As I hurry out the door I blow a kiss to Fred who is gone but never forgotten. I can't wait to see my husband again and share his happiness with him, Merlin knows he deserves it. I realise George was right to move us here, this place needs us and we need it, Hogsmade is a perfect place to start over, to raise our children, and establish our own branch of the Weasley family.


	15. Chapter 15 The Anatomy Of A Jokester

A/N: The title of this chapter is from a _NYTimes_ article of the same name. Whew! I didn't think I'd ever get this chapter posted, no writer's block just work, work and more work, so after making food for other people's parties I finally get to write about a party. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and hope you'll have a lot of fun reading it. Thanks to those who followed and favored. As always thanks for reading. Pretty Please review. Hugs and Kisses. XOXOX

xXGred-ForgeXx- Thanks I think Angelina a good teacher too.

Danalexkayarimad- Thanks I'm glad you like the story

Psyche101- here's hoping

nikki98- Thanks there so much hate out there for this couple, but I absolutely love them and think they belong together.

Hockeygirl06 5- Sorry I meant to update a lot sooner then this

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Anatomy Of A Jokester**

_Come up hard, baby_

_I had to fight_

_Took care of my bid'ness_

_Wit' all my might_

_I come up hard, awful hard_

_I had to win_

_Then start all over_

_And win again_

**Trouble Man- Marvin Gaye**

This morning I thought back to the day that Angelina found me on that pissy smelling mattress in Knockturn Alley. It almost seems like a life time ago, and I can scarcely believe that I let myself sink so low. I feel disgusted that I wasn't strong enough to stop myself from becoming _that_ person. At the time I didn't want to be near anything that reminded me of Fred and what we once had. I wanted the opposite of that the opposite of what my life had been. I wanted to die.

Now that I want to live I want to be near Fred, and the things that represent him. So today I do something I haven't done in awhile, I looked at a picture of Fred. Seeing him smile and move around of his own accord has always been too hard for me to bare. It's as if he was brought back to life by the Resurrection stone, here but not really here and the implications of that just hurt too damn much.

Today it's different, as I sit in Verity's office and stare at a picture of my grinning twin. That's the way I like to remember him, though he was much more complex than that. Angelina used to often tell us that we were much more complex than the sum of our parts.

"Everyone sees the pair of you as jokesters and pranksters, but if anyone spent time actually getting to know you instead of knowing your fame, well they'd know the two of you are so much more than that."

Angelina has always had this uncanny ability to really know us, so that sometimes when she looked at us it was like she wasn't just looking at us she was looking into us. Fred knew me too, even better then Angelina, and he knew that I was much more than a joker and if he were here right now he'd tell me I'm much more than an addict. I won't drink a drop or do a spell or take a potion. I'm not going to mess this up I've worked too hard for this day to do that. I won't let the memory of Fred down, I won't let Angelina down, and I won't let my family down. Most importantly I will not let myself down.

I'm on a natural high anyway, a high that comes from accomplishing exactly what you set out to do. My brothers death almost destroyed me and in my drug use I almost destroyed myself. It's almost hard to remember the George from those days, but I'll never forget least I revert back to being him.

Angelina gave me a pep talk this morning when I was getting dressed.

"George you deserve this more than I think you'll ever know. You've worked so hard for this day and I couldn't be more proud of you. She smiled up at me and then kissed me. "You're headed for great places George Gavin Weasley and I'll be beside you every step of the way cheering you on." We stared in each other eyes for a moment and suddenly I felt like a different person. "Bonded for life." She said softly.

The way she was looking at me, like she thought I was a king, well I couldn't resist her scooped her up in my arms and we made love. After she fingered my hair. "I hope our daughter has your red hair."

It's been a habit of ours ever since baby-sitting Victoire to talk about "our baby girl" She's become so real to me I can imagine holding her in my arms singing to her and letting her wrapping me completely around her finger.

"Like my hair do you?"

"Haven't I always."

It's true even when other kids would tease us and call us the "gross ginger twins" Angelina was always going on about how much she liked our red hair. We were just as taken with her braids, Fred and I like to play with her hair in class. Though she didn't think it was so funny the one time I turn her braids into snakes, in fact I've still got a scar. Angelina 's aim is spot on.

"I hopes she takes after you looks wise or else she'll never get a date, maybe that's a good thing." I muse.

"Please as gorgeous as we both are, you'll be fighting boys off with a stick." Angelina said snuggling closer to me.

"All that and modest too." I joked.

I see why Angelina wants to have a child, because it finally feels like we have a real feature. Things have finally become stable in our lives. Hogsmade already feels like our home now with everyone in the village making us feel so welcome.

After breakfast at the Three Broomsticks we headed over to the shop. Angelina is going to pass out complementary skiving snack boxes to the first. Everyone I know and love with be at the Hogsmade launch. There is already a flurry of activity in side. Chicanery is doing a sound check , Verity is doing a last minute inventory, and Leanne, Dean and Seamus are pacing the floor.

"Wait till you see Molly's dress she for tonight, she's going to look so beautiful." Angelina says. When Angelina went shopping for a dress for tonight she took my mum with her and brought her several dresses, mum protested of course but Angelina wouldn't take no for an answer. Then she got mum totally glamed up hair, nails, make-up, the works. She took my mum back to the restaurant where they refused to let her in, and all the witches laughed at her because she wasn't dressed smart enough.

"You should have been there George." My mum said. "I was so nervous, but not Angelina she held her head high and met every single pair of eyes that stared at us.

That's my Angie I thought.

"The wait staff was particularly keen on us, and the owner even came out to talk to us. Then Angelina said loudly so that everyone could her 'You know, I don't think this place is smart enough for us, with a dress as beautiful as your you need to eat somewhere high class'. My mum laughed then. "Oh George maybe it shouldn't have, but it feel damn good seeing the look on the owners face."

I love Angie, not just for how much she loves me, but for how much she loves my family, our family.

Outside Lee is getting the crowed hyped. The crowd is cheering and clapping, the first years have worked themselves into a near frothy frenzy. Their high pitch screams sound like they might break glass.

"Are you ready for this?" Verity asks. "Once we open these doors all hell is going to break loose."

"I was born ready." I say.

"Let's rock this place." Cries Dom the lead singer of Chicanery.

The staff, who include my family today, cheers.

This is it. This new shop could make me or break me, it's a hell of a risk, but I'm a hell of a risk taker.

"Georgie you're hands are shaking." Angelina says grabbing my hands in hers.

"I can't help it I'm so nervous, I've been planning this for so long, I don't want anything to go wrong."

"It won't, but even if it does it will be OK."

"You ready?" I ask before kissing her.

"If you're ready then I'm ready."

I clear my throat and everyone looks at me. "I just want to make a speech before I open this store." I look out at all the faces of people I love, and the people who love me, and I feel the happiest and most loved I have in a long time.

"I just want to thank all of you for seeing me through the absolute worst and the absolute best times in my life, and I could not have done this without any of you. Mum and Dad thanks for being the very best parents in the entire world. Thanks for not killing our creativity, and for letting me and Fred blow things up in the house, and not killing us when we dropped out of school.

Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron, and Ginny thanks for being my siblings and built in friends for life. Thank you for loving and missing Fred. Thank you for every memory we ever made together, and for always having my back.

"Hermione, Fleur, Audrey thanks for being the most understanding, smartest, and hottest sister-in-laws a bloke could have, and the compassion."

"To Harry there will never be thanks enough for all that you did for me, for my family, and for the Wizarding world, but I am endlessly thankful."

"To my friends, thanks for befriending me and, thanks even more for staying friends with me, if it weren't for you guys Hogwarts wouldn't have been the experience it was. Thank you Lee for never abandoning me or bad mouthing me, and for being like another brother to me."

I turn to the band. "Now don't go getting jealous guys I love you too."

The drummer does the drum and cymbals.

"Thank you Chicanery for being so damn rocking and for never failing to draw a crowd, and for filling my life with music."

I pause for a moment to look at everyone. This is the first time in a very long time that I've seen this many people looking at me with pride. I can feel myself getting tearful, but I know if I start crying I'll send my mum into waterworks again, and she'll drag everyone along sobbing with her.

"Angelina." I say. "Thank you for never giving up on me, and for finding me when I lost myself. Thank you for being everything I ever wanted and then some. You're my best-friend and wife, and thank you for loving me the way you do, you saved my life Angie. I love you."

That does it tears start to flow like water. Damn it, I'm about to open a joke shop that's full of a sobbing staff that looks like drowned rats.

"I love you too George." Angelina says and hugs me close. Then everyone starts clapping, and Now I'm crying. I feel truly and completely redeemed.

"Come on lets dry those tears, we've got bunch of first year's day to make.!"

Everyone collects themselves and a moment later I point my wand and the doors to the Hogsmade joke shop sail smoothly open. I grin to myself. It's show time

"Greetings and salutations first years and welcome to the wondrously wacky world of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, a firecracker goes off above my head and spells out Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. "Here you can never be too silly, pranks are expected, and jokes are the local language."

Angelina starts handing out the snack boxes to the first years, some of them start jumping up and down so excited to get theirs. Everyone is talking amongst themselves and laughing, and it's good to see children acting like children again. The beginning of so much of their lives is about to happen to them and they have no ideal.

"I hope your first year at Hogwarts is good to you as it was to me. Feel free to ask questions, have fun, and to make as much noise as you like. Now if you'll please, enjoy my shop!" With those words the kids are off like a broom. Yelling, running, and touching everything. One of the biggest attractions are the Flotation Flip-Flops I made. Flip-flops with little wings on them, you run in place for a bit to activate the charm then you can float, several children are floating now near the domed ceiling. I've got gravity charms and sensors on the shoes so I'm not worried about being sued.

The dance floor is another big attraction. The dance floor moves to the beat of whatever song is playing ,the floor like the flip-flops, is charmed so that none of the dancers go flying off.

"Your new product line is going fast George I hope you got enough." Ron says coming up to me. He's back in the swing of things as if it were only yesterday he stopped working here.

"Thanks I'm sure I have." I say. I was shocked at how good Ron was at helping me run the shops, and there were times when he did it all by himself because I was too fucked up to be of any help. Now he's an Auror and sometimes that scares the shite out of me, I know I give Ron a hard time, but if I were to lose him it'd kill another part of me.

"The pygmy puff are getting pretty low too, Ron says, and your dad is actually a good salesman Angelina."

"Well he is an ad man." Angelina says.

Ron looks puzzled

"Never mind." Angelina says holding out her hand.

"He's been showing the first years Muggle card tricks and the little freaks are going mad for them." Ron says.

"The wonder witch line needs restocking." Hermione comes up beside Ron huffing her hair looking more busy then ever.

The noise levels in the store have almost tripled by the time this is over with I know the store will be a bloody wreck. The band changes to a faster song and a bunch of first years race for the dance floor. I watch a pair of twin brothers dancing together. Their movements are the same, the expression on their faces the same, they laugh at the same time. I can't take my eyes off of them, they remind me of Fred and myself so much it's like having an out of body experience.

"I notice them too, aren't they sweet." Angelina says in my ear. She slides her hand in mines. "You're responsible for making them that happy."

I turn to her and just smile. Lee starts to emcee the raffle, the grand prize is a racing broom. The twins I saw dancing earlier win a pair of Headless Hats.

"Excuse us?" The twins say in unison as they come up to claim their prize.

"Yes?"

"Er, I'm Jack and this is my brother Jake, and we just wanted to say that we're sorry about Fred."

"Thank you." I say kindly.

"We always looked up to the pair of you." Jack says.

"You were our heroes." Jake says.

"Thank you Fred would have loved hearing that." Suddenly my throat feels tight.

"We w-we were wonder if y-you'd sign our card."

They hold up a trading card on which Fred and I are on the cover. I take the card and sign it with a flourish.

They both look at the card for a moment before looking at me again.

"Thank you Mr. Weasley." They chorus.

"Please call me George Mr. Weasley is my dad." I say and they laugh.

"Thanks George." They call and run off arms entwined and chatting with their heads together just like Fred I used to.

As quick as it started the hour with the first years is over, and they leave taking Angelina with them, before she goes though she gently grabs my face and turns it so that I have to look her in the eyes.

"George this has been is so amazing you're so brilliant at this, please take the time to remember this day, I know all the first years will." She kisses me softly.

I grab Angelina's hand. I wish she could stay with me all day her departure is much too soon for me.

After Angelina and the first years leave we take time to straighten up the place, and then everyone goes home to change for the after hours party. I've hired a temporary sales staff so that everyone can enjoy the night.

The doors open again the band strikes up and once again the noise levels increase. In the sea of bodies I spot several familiar faces. Anthony Goldstein, Ernie Macmillan, and Marietta Edgecombe. The press has shown up as well Rita Skeeter and Taffy Younghusband are both here. Other useless gits include Malfoy, Blaise and his pug-faced wife, and Millicent Bulstrode.

"Hey George." Katie Bell cries and she and Roger make their way over towards me. They are minus Aberforth, whom they left with Roger's mum.

"So what do you think?"

"I think it looks amazing." Katie says eyeing the high shelves and the balcony running the perimeter of the store.

I point to the upper most shelves. "When you want something from a higher shelf you just point your wand like this, I point my wand at a spot on one of the top shelves, and say the name of the product and voila, Katie and Roger watch as the product I floats down to us on a little parachute.

"That's so cool!" Katie says.

"You're a bloody genius." Roger says.

The atmosphere for the after hours party is completely different now that the first years are gone. It still feels like a party, an adult party, there are more drinks, more people dancing, and people trying to hook up. Women are wearing tiny bits of material that can hardly be consider a dress. In Angelina's absence they flirt shamelessly with me. Romilda Vane practically shoves her breast into my face. I back away from her fast remembering how her obsession for Harry fucked over Ron. Charlie and Alicia have managed to be together, in a crowd this big no one is paying attention to the two of them.

It's me everyone seems to be paying the attention to. I hardly have time to stay in one spot, I chat with people, show off new products, answer questions, and even conduct a little business.

"George!" someone yells and I spin around to see who

"Dennis!" It's Dennis Creevey. I go up and give him a hug. He looks really good now, he's put on weight and gotten some colour. I still owl Dennis, but I haven't been to see him as much as I should have. I feel guilty, but I have been busy. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

"They let me out on good behaviour, but I wouldn't have missed this for anything, Colin he would have absolutely loved this." He says looking round. "His first year of Hogwarts he came home so excited there was no way mum and dad could calm him down, he made Hogwarts seem so real to me that I could hardly wait to go myself."

We don't say anything for a few seconds.

"The students need this place George don't ever forget that." Dennis says suddenly. He sounds so serious for someone his age. His eyes take on a far away look, a look I know all to well.

"Well." He says the look disappearing from his eyes. "I'm going to look around."

I watch him go knowing just how he feels. Colin and Dennis may not have been twins, but that doesn't mean losing his brother hurt any less. Dennis is all alone in the Wizarding world now with no other magical family members, I feel bad for not seeing him more often and make it a point to start visiting him more.

"George, my brother George, hey Aud it's George!" Percy shouts coming up to me. His tie is undone and so are the four top buttons of his shirt revealing lipstick kisses trailing down his chest. _Oh my_, he and Audrey are wrapped around each other like they've both had one too many, and are holding each other up, which exactly what they are doing.

"Having a good time are we then?"

"This party, this party is the bees knnnnees!, tell em Aud tell em." Percy says pointing the opposite direction of his wife though he means her.

"It'ssss the bees knnnnees!" Audrey says then hiccups and giggles. "Sorry I've had a whole lot of chamnpane, chasmaine, shamp, shamp- you know what I mean"

"She's buzzed." Percy says. "Ya get it George buzzed like a bee buzz, buzzed like a bee's knees."

"Buzzed like a buck fizz." Audrey says and they both like drains.

I just look at Percy and Audrey completely amused. I have never seen either of them drunk before a day in my life. In fact I've only seen Percy sip Elf-made wine. It's good to see my joke shop has loosened Percy and Audrey up.

"We're off to get freaky on the dance floor." Percy says

I gap at my older brother and wonder if someone put a spell on him.

Audrey swings her hair with wild abandon and the two race towards the dance floor.

I think of how I cut in on Fred and Angelina once at the Yule Ball. It was a slow song we danced to, and in my mind I pretended it was me that she'd gone with. I remember feeling guilty for liking the way Angelina's body felt pressed against mines. I remember the smell of her perfume, and how soft and warm her skin felt. She put her head on my shoulder and I put my hands on the small of her back. I kept lowering my hands experimentally towards her arse to see she what she'd do. Finally I touched her arse and it was heaven, I cupped it softly in my hands and held them there. Angelina didn't do anything for a few seconds then she took my hands away and put them back on her waist. Neither of us ever told Fred about that.

When I look up I start, Angelina is walking through the door as if my mere thoughts of her conjured her up. I grin as she strides in wearing a bright red dress that strategically shows off enough skin with out being tartly, her full lips are painted bright red, and they curl into an impish smile as she scans the crowds looking for me. Then she spots me and winks. Heads turn as she makes her way toward me moving with the grace of a cat her hips swaying hypnotically. She's such a show off, but since it's me she's show off for I don't mind it.

"Well if it isn't my gorgeous George right where I left him." Angelina says wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Miss me?."

Instead of answering Angelina grabs me and bends me backwards and kisses me. No it isn't a kiss it's a snog, a proper snog. The crowd cheers and whoops.

"All right go for it son!" I hear Lee shout.

Angelina and I laugh in the middle of our kiss, the last time it was me who kissed Angelina like that when we were at Hogwarts, Fred nearly brained me for it, and Lee shouted the same words of encouragement.

We turn around and the crowd is still looking at us.

"My beautiful wife." I say and the crowd cheers. When the cheering stops I speak again. "I want to thank everyone for turning up and handing over you're hard earned cash, really though thank you from the bottom of my heart, these past couple of years hasn't been easy for any of us, they been particularly hard for me. When I lost Fred, I have to stop because I get chocked up, and Angelina grabs my hand, when my twin brother died a part of me, a huge part of me died too, and if it weren't for my family, my friends, and all of you that believed in , wished me well, and didn't turn your back on me when I fell, I would not be here with out all of you. I wish like hell that Fred Nathaniel Weasley could be here tonight, but he can't, so the very least I could do is drink in toast to him.

My drink will be non-alcoholic. I don't trust myself with even one drink, one drink always becomes never enough. I raise my glass of pumpkin juice.

"To Fred, my twin, my other half, my hero."

"To Fred." The crowd says back and we drink to him.


End file.
